Double tongue piercing information, you will find just about anything you need to know here including the cost, risks associated with it, rings used for the piercings, healing process, and much more. You will also find a couple of pictures to inspire your thoughts and help you decide if this body mod trend is for you.
Double Tongue Piercing or Two Tongue Piercings
As the name suggests, one is described as having double tongue piercing when s/he has two separate piercings, each with its own separate barbell. A double piercing is not to be confused with a horizontal tongue piercing (also known as snake eye tongue piercing) which gives the illusion of two tongue piercings when it actually is just one piercing.
In as far as placement of the piercing pair is concerned, you can either have them pointing in the same direction (read more in the vertical double tongue piercing section) or crossing each other; that is, with one piercing (jewelry) positioned horizontally and the other one positioned vertically (which often gives the illusion of 3 piercings).
You may also choose to have two horizontal tongue piercings placed laterally along the length of the tongue (on the outer margin). This gives the impression of four piercings when you indeed have just two piercings.
Getting the pair pierced together (at the same time) would spare you the agony of having to undergo the pain and swelling associated with fresh piercings twice but twice a needle jab is not an option for some people.
If you are one such person, then you may as well decide to get the piercings done separately; that is to have the second one done after the first one has healed off.
Double Piercing Healing time
With double tongue piercings, you can expect a healing time of 4-6 weeks but complications such as infections, irritation, allergic reactions, etc. can delay the healing time considerably.
How to Care For Double Tongue Piercing (Aftercare Measures)
As with any piercing, particularly oral piercings that are particularly prone to infections, a double pierced tongue requires good care to keep it clean and free of germs and shorten the healing time.
Below are several aftercare measures that must be adhered to as your piercing heals:
- Rinse your mouth with sea-salt solution prepared by dissolving ¼ tsp of sea salt (non-iodized) in 1 cup of warm water 3-6 times every day. You will, in particular, want to rinse your mouth in the morning and evening and after eating anything else other than water.
- Avoid spicy and hot foods and instead, take soft foods during the first 7 days or so after piercing. Some good food choices include mashed potatoes, pudding, applesauce, scrambled eggs, protein shakes, mashed ripe bananas, ice cream, rice, oatmeal, and Jell-O.
- Avoid alcoholic beverages during the healing phase as alcohol is known to delay the healing of oral piercings.
Say bye-bye to kissing and oral sex while that double tongue piercing heals. You don’t want to transfer infections via body fluids. - Avoid playing with the barbell i.e. rubbing it against the teeth and mouth surfaces to avoid irritation which may delay the healing time.
- Avoid touching your piercing unnecessarily. You should only touch it when checking to ensure that the barbell is tightly fastened and even then, ensure that your hands are clean first, otherwise, use gloves.
- Stay away from aspirin and other blood-thinning medications. If you need to take pain relievers, use ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
- Drink plenty of water and get adequate rest.
Double Tongue Piercing Pictures
Is double tongue piercing for you? What does it look like? Well, pictures could offer you valuable insight. Below are some pics (images) to help you out. As you can see from these pictures, you can either choose a pair of vertical (or even horizontal) piercings or a mix of vertical and horizontal piercings:
Vertical Double Tongue Piercing
Vertical double tongue piercing lends itself to various options. First is the double center tongue piercing where two separate piercings are made vertically at the center of the tongue next to each other (along the length of the tongue).
The other option is the off-center piercing, which is usually referred to as venom tongue piercing or snake bites piercing. For this option, the piercings are placed on either side of the tongue. That is one piercing goes on the left half of the tongue with the other going on the right half of the tongue.
The name “snake bites” is used because the placement of these piercing pair on the tongue gives an appearance that is akin to the marks left behind by snakes when they bite their victim. How suitable a person is for snake bites tongue piercing depends on the shape of their tongue as well as teeth structure and tongue web placement.
Double Tongue Piercing Risks
Two tongue piercings mean double the pain but other than that, it also carries the other risks inherent in body piercings, paramount among them being infections.
Infections: The mouth harbors lots of bacteria which makes oral piercings even more susceptible to infections. You should suspect infection if you notice any of the following signs and symptoms:
- Swelling persists for too long or comes back after it had initially cleared, say for a couple weeks. Ordinarily, swelling subsides in 3-5 days.
- Yellowish green discharge (pus). This is often accompanied by significant discoloration (black, purple, yellow, or green) of the tongue.
- Bleeding that begins after the initial wound has healed
- A red streak that transcends beyond the piercing area, more so one that seems to be stretching to cover a larger area with time.
- Increasing pain
- Fever
If you suspect infection, seek immediate antibiotic treatment.
Teeth and gum damage
The piercing jewelry can chip your teeth and cause issues with the gums (e.g. recession), particularly if you play with it. You can always reduce this risk by wearing snugly fitting jewelry that is at the level with your tongue.
Metal allergy
there is also the risk of allergic reaction to piercing jewelry metal, particularly in individuals with an overactive immune system, but that is rather uncommon. To reduce this risk, you should use jewelry made from high-quality metal such as surgical degree stainless steel, titanium, gold, etc.
Swallowing of the jewelry
If not careful, you may end up swallowing the jewelry ball(s) accidentally. To avoid this, ensure that the balls are tightly fastened (not so tight though lest you cause irritation to the piercing) particularly before going to bed and after meals.
Rejection and migration
Piercing jewelry is a foreign body and there is always the chance that your body perceives it as a threat and tries to fight it off. When this happens, the body heals the area behind the jewelry and is said to be rejecting the jewelry.
With time, the jewelry is forced to move outwards gradually, a phenomenon known as migration. Migration is thus the ultimate outcome of rejection of piercings.
Double Tongue Piercing Price
Geographic location, level of competition, and personal preferences will all have an impact on the cost of getting a double tongue piercing. For example, a regular stainless steel barbell will cost relatively less compared to one with a fancy acrylic bead or a gold barbell.
Some piercers charge a flat rate fee for piercing – covering both the actual piercing and the jewelry – while others quote a “partial” price covering the piercing process only, meaning that you have to pay for the desired jewelry separately.
A regular tongue piercing price tends to range between $30 and $90 (for one piercing) and since you are essentially getting two tongue piercings, you can expect to pay anything along the mid to higher quartiles of this price range. Anything between $30 and $90 is fair enough.
Regardless of the price, work only with piercing specialists with a good reputation and experience.
Proper placement is of utmost importance and so is a hygienic and health-compliant environment, lest you end up getting serious infections and other complications. Autoclaving of equipment is a must-have for any piercing studio and is something you should not compromise.
Double Tongue Ring
You technically speaking don’t use a double tongue “ring”. Straight barbells are instead used. This comprises of a solid shaft at the center with threads on either end, through which a fastening ball (bead) is attached.
An exception, however, holds for piercings placed very close to the tip of the tongue for which captive bead rings and circular barbells may be potentially used. A 14 gauge barbell is the starting point for most people but it is possible to stretch the piercing later on to 12g, 10g and so on.
As matter of fact, most piercers will use a 14 gauge ¾” or 7/8″ barbell (stainless steel) at first to allow the piercing enough room for swelling during the healing phase and then replace it with a tighter-fitting, shorter barbell, e.g. 12g or 10g, thereafter.
In addition to stainless steel, other materials used to make piercing jewelry include PTFE, titanium, and gold. As for the beads at the end of the barbell, there are many decorative options to choose from nowadays ranging from spider to skull, star, heart, and weed-shaped ones. It is up to you to define what cool means to you. Colors are also quite as varied.
Tongue-colored “No-see-um beads” are also a nice option when you want to hide your piercings.