Are you intending to have a snake bite tongue piercing? This article contains what you need to know about snake bite or venom tongue piercing including the procedure, pain, healing duration, price, jewelry and aftercare tips. It also contains pictures that will you to understand better how it look like.
Snake Tongue Piercing
Snake bite piercing is also known as venom tongue piercing. It involves making two small sized piercings on both the right and left side of your tongue near to the tip unlike to the normal tongue piercing that involves making a single piercing at the center of the tongue.
The position of two tongue piercing mimics the placement of the two teeth of a snake in which it releases venom during a bite. This is the main reason as to why it is referred to as snake bite or venom tongue piercing.
Most people prefers to have the two piercings done at the same time while some opt for one piercing at one side and comes back for the other side after healing of the first one. It is advantageous to have a snake bite piercing done at the same time since you will go through pain and swelling at once.
When intending to have a snake bite tongue piercing, it is recommended to find a professional piercer to perform the procedure. He or she is supposed to have knowledge, skills and experience in performing successful piercings. You should also ensure that all the piercing instruments are sterilized before the procedure.
Do enough research online to find a piercer with a good reputation and one who has a history of performing successful piercing. Also, find some time to check out the piercing shop to evaluate it cleanliness before booking for the piercing procedure.
After piercing, it is normal to experience tongue swelling, inflammations and some white excretions around the pierces sites during the initial healing process. However, persistent swelling, yellow or white discharge, redness and excessive pain may be the first symptoms of an infection.
Like any other type of body piercings, oral piercings are susceptible to infections especially under poor aftercare practices. The mouth also contains numerous bacteria and other pathogenic micro-organisms that can enter your body through the wound to cause an infection.
It is therefore very important to follow the aftercare instructions provided strictly to avoid any chances of an infection. Maintain high oral hygiene by cleaning the pierced area and other parts of your mouth using a saline solution or a good quality mouthwash.
Snake Bite Tongue Piercing Jewelry, Ring
It is recommended to use straight barbells for snake bite piercing. It is important to insert a longer jewelry i.e. 14 gauge barbells, this provides enough room for accommodation of the tongue during swelling in the initial stages after the procedure.
However, after the initial healing process, you are supposed to change to a smaller 12 gauge or 10 gauge jewelry. Well-fitting jewelry helps to minimize the risks of migration or rejection. It also avoid dangers that are associated with longer jewelries like gum or teeth damage.
Consider to use shorter bars that measures between 2mm and 4 mm to replace long barbells. This should be done after the initial healing of the tongue.
The material or quality of the jewelry also matters a lot. There are various types of jewelries like stainless steel, titanium, niobium and high carbon plastics among others. Many people will go for stainless steel especially for the shaft that goes through the flesh.
For this reason, you can use balls made from other materials like plastics or acrylic. You can choose the design of the balls or beads of your choice from the various varieties in the market. You can also choose the jewelry that matches the color of your tongue when intending to hide it.
Remember that, it is recommended to visit your piercer whenever you want to remove or change your jewelry before the piercing heals completely. Trying to change it by your self can cause damage or an infection. It is also important to avoid touching your jewelry unnecessary especially with dirty had.
Snake Bite Tongue Piercing Price or Cost
When you are intending to have a tongue piercing, it is important to have it done by a professional piercer and also at a pocket friendly cost. Never attempt to get your tongue pierced by yourself or a less experienced piercer with an intension of saving some coins. Many things can go wrong including damaging the nerve or risking an infection.
However, the piercing price is not constant, it varies from one region to the other. There are a number of factors that affect the price, they include the following:
- Price of the initial jewelry
Most of the piercing studios charges a cost that is inclusive of the initial jewelry. However, the price of the jewelry also varies depending with the type, material and the design of the jewelry.
For instance titanium or stainless steel jewelries are more expensive as compared to those that are made from plastics. Therefore, the price will depend on the choice of your jewelry.
- Region
The region or location of the piercing studios also affects the piercing price. Some of the piercing studios will have higher price than others. Those that are located in cities or in highly populated areas tends to charge cheaper as compare to those in rural areas due to competition.
- Skills and experience of the piercer
The skills and experience of the piercer is another factor that affects the cost of snake bite tongue piercing. Highly trained and registered piercers who have enough skills and experience of performing a successful piercing will tend to be a bit expensive as compared to those that are still new in that field.
- Type of the piercing studios
Piercing studios that uses modern technology, instruments and operates in a hygienic environment will tend to be a little expensive than others. Such studios has a higher chances of a successful tongue piercing as compared to those operating less hygienic environments.
- Discounts
Some piercing studios offers discounts on double piercings. You can get a discount of 5% on the total price after performing the other piercing. Discounts may also apply when performing other body piercings like nostril, belly button or ear lobe piercing among others.
Apart from the factors affecting the cost, there are also other additional costs you are likely to incur during or after the procedure. A professional piercer can recommend some of the aftercare products to use for cleaning and you may be required to purchase them from the studio or supermarket. In the long run, they determine your total cost of piercing.
Therefore, when the above factors are put into consideration, you can expect to pay anything ranging from $30 and $90. This price range includes the piercing, jewelry and aftercare products. When intending to get your tongue pierced, price should not be the only factor to consider.
Conduct enough research to find a piercing studio that has a fair price and also provides high quality services. At the very least, it should operate in a hygienic environment, licensed and registered from the relevant authority.
Snake Bites Tongue Piercing Pain, Does it hurt
Snake bite tongue piercing pain varies form one person to the other. Everybody has a different experience of the pain level after the procedure. However most of the people have compared the pain to that one of biting the tongue. Few minutes after the piercing procedure, the pain level will start to slow down although the tongue may become swollen during the initial healing process.
From tattoo and piercing scale, which runs from 1-10, the pain level of tongue piercing ranges between 2-5. According to the scale 1 is less painful and 10 is more painful. The pain level increases with the scale.
Tongue piercing is less painful as compared to other body piercings like nose piercing, septum, navel, ear cartilage, nipple, genital or tragus piercing. Some people who we have interviewed after snake bite or venom tongue piercing would even say that it is less painful as compared to tongue biting.
However many people say that tongue hurts more during the initial healing process than during the moment of piercing. If your pain threshold is high, you can opt for an aesthetic to numb some part of your tongue few minutes before the procedure.
It is recommended to control your breathing after the piercing procedure to relax the tongue so that it hurt less i.e. breath in counting 1 up to 5, breath out counting 1 to 5 again, breath in counting 1 to 4, breath out counting 1 to 4 again and so on until your tongue relaxes.
There are also other tips you can use to relieve the pain while at home after snake bite tongue piercing procedure. It also helps to fasten the healing process. They include:
- Avoid eating spicy, hot or salty foods and beverages during the initial healing process. Such foods and drinks can make your piercing to hurt more as well as delaying the healing process.
- Use over-the-counter painkillers like ibuprophen or acetaminophen to relive the pain and other discomforts. Avoid blood thinning painkillers like aspirin. You should also take the medicine as directed by manufacturer’s instructions.
- Alleviate pain and swelling by placing some ice chips on your tongue and drinking ice cold water. Do not suck the ice chips, allow them to melt on their own
- Clean your mouth 2-3 times daily using a good quality alcohol free mouth wash. Alternatively, you can gargle with sea salt solution to kill the bacteria and remove dirty.
- Do not play with the jewelry or feel it with your teeth, it may cause an injury that causes pain or bleeding.
- During the healing process, avoid smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol or chewing gum. It may cause irritation or stick on your jewelry.
However, if the pain does not subside after using the above tips, try to check for any sign of an infection. Symptoms of an infection are like excessive swelling, tenderness, pain, yellow or green pus coming out of your piercing and increased body temperatures or fever.
It is important to visit your doctor right away after discovering symptoms of an infection. The doctor will be able to diagnose to condition and provide the required treatment. He or she may subscribe some antibiotics for bacterial infections.
Snake Bite Tongue Piercing Healing Time
Tongue piercings takes a short time to heal. The initial healing process may take only 2-3 weeks to heal. For it to heal completely, it may take 2-3 month. However, there is a number of things you can do to fasten the healing process.
- To avoid infections that may delay healing process, ensure that your piercing is done by a professional piercer who has enough skills and experience. He or she should be able to sterilize the piercing instruments and wear gloves and face mask before the procedure.
- Follow the aftercare instructions provided strictly to avoid. This includes cleaning your piercing 2-3 times daily using saline solution or a good quality mouth wash.
- During the initial healing process, avoid taking spicy, hot or spicy food and beverages. They may cause irritation or a burning sensation that may delay the healing process. The other things to avoid includes smoking alcohol and alcohol consumption.
- Rinse your mouth with sea salt solution after taking any meal. It helps to kill bacteria and other pathogenic micro-organisms that can cause an infection to your snake bite tongue piercing. It also fastens the healing process.
- Avoid engaging in oral sex that includes kissing during the healing process. It may cause transmission of infections like herpes simplex virus and other bacterial infection.
- Do not change the jewelry by yourself or touch it with dirty hand. It is advisable to visit your piercer in case you want to change a longer jewelry to a shorter one.
During the healing process it is important to watch for any sign of an infection. Visit your doctor for diagnosis and treatment in case you notice symptoms of an infection. The earlier you treat an infection the better. Here are the initial symptoms of an infection:
- Swelling
Swelling is normal during the initial healing process of your snake bite tongue piercing. However, you should get worried when the swelling becomes persistent or accompanied with other symptoms like difficulties in pronunciation, chewing and swallowing. This are enough evidence of an infection.
- Presence of yellow or green discharge
It is also normal to have excretion of white substances from the piercing during the initial healing process. Excretion of smelly, yellow or green discharge is an indication of an infection. It is therefore important to visit your healthcare provider for treatment.
- Redness
Slight redness is normal for any body piercing for few days after piercing. On the other hand, persistence redness accompanied by itchiness, swelling, irritation or burning sensation is an indication of an infection.
- Bleeding
Some bleeding usually occurs for few minutes after the procedure. Bleeding that occurs after the healing process is complete can be a sign of an infection especially when accompanied with swelling, excessive pain and redness
- Other symptoms
The other symptoms includes discoloration of the tongue, numbness of the tongue, bad or smelly breath, itchiness and red streak around the piercing.
Snake Bites on Tip of Tongue
Snake bite tongue piercing can also be done on the tip of your tongue. When the tongue piercing is done at the tip, it can be more thrilling especially when wearing a high quality and attractive jewelry. Therefore, before the procedure you can talk to your piercer about the location of your piercing.
When intending to have snake bite on tip of tongue, it is also important to consider the chances of migration or rejection of the jewelry. The body is likely to develop an allergic reaction to body piercings especially when done on the tip or surface of the skin.
If you are having a history of body piercing migration and rejection, then it won’t be a good idea to have this type of body piercing. You can easily found out by the experience of your body piercings
How to Care for a snake Bite Tongue Piercing
It is important to take good care of your piercing to avoid infections that may delay healing process. After piercing procedure, your professional piercer will give you a list of aftercare instructions consisting of what is supposed to be done and avoided. They include the following:
- Reduce the swelling by drinking ice cold water. Alternatively, you can place some ice chips on your tongue and allow them to melt on their own without sucking. This helps to bring swelling and other discomfort down.
- Rinse your mouth with a good quality alcohol free mouthwash 3-4 times daily especially after taking any meal. It helps to remove food particles and other debris that harbors bacteria.
- Clean the pierced sites and areas around using sea salt. You simply add ¼ tablespoon of sea salt into a glass of water. Soak a cotton ball into the solution and dab on the piercings 2-3 times a day.
- Make sure that your hands are clean before touching your piercings during cleaning time. Wash them using antibacterial soap and running water. Touching the piercings un-necessarily should also be avoided.
- During the initial healing duration, avoid spicy, salty and hot foods and beverages. They can cause irritations or a burning sensation that may interfere with the healing process. Go for soft drinks, soup, mashed potatoes and ripe bananas, scrambled eggs and protein shakes.
- Make some lifestyle changes during the initial week of healing. Avoid smoking tobacco, consumption of alcohol, excessive amount of caffeine and chewing gums.
- During the initial healing stages of snake bite tongue piercing, it is also important to avoid oral sex and kissing as it can cause introduction of new bacteria into your mouth. Other infections like herpes simplex virus and hepatitis can get a way into your body through the wound.
- Check the barbell balls regularly and tighten those that are loose. The can unscrew over a time and loosen.
- Change the jewelry after elapse of the initial healing process. The original jewelry is usually replaced with a shorter jewelry one the tongue resumes its normal size. The original jewelry is usually long to accommodate a swollen tongue and cause injuries and damage to gums and teeth if not replaced.
- Do not rub the jewelry against your teeth as it may injury to your piercings.
- If you suspect that you have developed an infection, don’t rush to remove the jewelry by yourself. You may worsen your condition and therefore, it is recommended to visit your professional piercer or your doctor for treatment.
Once the initial healing process is over, you can choose the right jewelry style of your choice. When choosing the jewelries, remember that some metals causes allergic reaction. Therefore it is important to go for those that does not cause sensitivity to your body.