Frenulum Linguae: Tongue Web Piercing

Words are powerful. We think, write, and speak words. Stringing together fragments of our language to form ideas and thoughts. We verbalize thousands of words a day. Whether speaking love or spewing out anger, talking is more utilized than digital communication (believe it or not). We can thank our Frenulum Linguae for holding our tongue just enough to verbally express our feelings and thoughts. Everyone has this veiny, web-like tissue that is on the floor of our mouth and continues up to the undersurface of our tongue. This tissue is in charge of holding our tongue not too far forward or back and contains saliva ducts. The veins become more prominent as one ages.

If there is enough tissue and room allowed, piercing this part of the mouth becomes an option. This piercing location is often called the Marley piercing. There is no exact story on the name of this; however, we can give credit to the reggae revolutionist Bob Marley who was known to have powerful vocals.

This piercing spot is entirely covert, unless one purposefully shows it off. Under the tongue jewelry usually entails a 16 gauge barbell with a length of 6-8 millimeter, Curved Barbells and Circular Barbells. Curved jewelry is preferred over straight jewelry because the tongue web has an arch and the piercing mimics that natural bow of tissue.

The healing process of the Marley piercing is 4-6 weeks. Attention needs to be taken with everything that enters the oral cavity. It might be a slight hassle at first, but at the end you will hopefully have a strong and clean piercing. During this 4-6 week period, one will need to avoid swimming (same as any other piercing), excessive alcohol consumption (no more drunk calling your ex), smoking (vaping or e-cigarettes are okay), and sexual interaction (love yourself). Food must be sensibly eaten in a way to avoid the underside of the tongue so nothing gets caught in it.

The aftercare on tongue web piercings takes as much consideration as any other piercing. Non-alcohol based mouthwash is necessary to clean your Marley. Recovery oral piercing aftercare product is a prime example. Salt water can be utilized too. Remember, swelling will occur so size your jewelry accordingly. It will be strange to have this foreign object in your mouth but after several months, you will familiarize with it.

Every piercing comes with a limitation and the Marley is no different. This piercing has a lifespan of a few years. Rejection will take place quicker if it is not properly treated and if the jewelry used is heavy. People have averaged the pain to a 4/10; but the re-piercing of this through scar tissue was significantly greater. Make sure the three years you choose to rock the Marley are memorable.