The ancient Aztecs and Mayans practiced oral piercings as part of rituals and offerings to their deities, demonstrating honour and endurance. Also know as the frenum, this piercing is in the web under the tongue. The first modern references of piercings in the oral frenulum date from the late 1990s, and have become very popular in the last couple of years. This piercing is popular due to its discreet positioning, people can only see it if you show it to them. This piercing however is not for everyone and can depend on your anatomy and tongue control if you are suitable for it. 

Will it hurt? Most recipients of this piercing report feeling little to no pain, the tissue is so thin and fragile in this area that people agree its not a painful piercing. Piercing is actually very tolerable, with the majority of people reporting it to feel like 'a sharp pain and stinging sensation' that lasts just a few seconds. However, each individual experiences pain differently, so it is impossible to say with certainty just how much your piercing may or may not hurt.

Healing? The lingual frenulum is well known for quick healing times, low pain level and is super discreet in nature.  Although the tongue web piercing heals relatively quickly (around 4-6 weeks), this piercing can be prone to rejection and migration so this piercing may not last 'years', another factor to consider is this piercing can cause gum recession over time.. This is typically due to anatomical restrictions such as thinner frenulum tissue etc, which your piercer will make you aware of prior to carrying out the piercing.

When caring for your lingual frenum/tongue web piercing, ensure that you:

• Avoid smoking, alcohol or spicy foods initially so as not to irritate the piercing whilst it heals.
• Maintain proper oral hygiene (cleaning your teeth twice a day, flossing etc).
• Avoid playing with your jewellery with your tongue. 
• Clean your piercing twice a day, use a gentle mouthwash or saltwater soaks to maintain good dental hygiene
• Refrain from touching the piercing to allow the tender tissue to heal and to reduce the risk of inflammation and pain.
• The jewellery must be kept in at all times or you can risk the piercing closing over.

You can dramatically reduce the risk of any problems by following this advice.

Jewellery: Body jewellery for a Tongue Web piercing usually involves a curved barbell.

Book your appointment here: www.bookapiercing.co.uk 

Read aftercare info here: www.ljaze.co.uk/aftercare

Read downsizing info here: www.ljaze.co.uk/downsizing

Read healing info here: www.ljaze.co.uk/healing

Initial piercing jewellery options for tongue web piercings can be seen below: