im 14 and everyone at my highschool has there tongue peirced and i think its really cool and i want it done!!!
so i have asked a couple people were they got it done BUT THERE PARENTS WAS WITH THEM! i finally figured out a plce to get it done im scared and anxious mostly becuase pain its not for oral sex i just think its cool do you think i should? my parents dont aprove and im NOT waiting till im 18! NOT HAPPINING! well do you know of anybody that has had it done? does it hurt? and i know theres risks of infection but if i really want it that bad i will take care of it!!!!
~me~

Me,

It is not legal for anyone under 18 and in some places 21 to have any piercing without their parents approval. So if your parents say no -forget it.

If you think you can find a friend to do it or a place that will do it without your parents OK - forget that too. No place that would break the law is a safe place to have your tongue pierced. It is really important that a tongue piercing is done correctly. You can damage your tongue forever if it is done wrong.

BE CAREFUL.

Susan

I think people who pierce their tounges are strange. You said that everyone at your school is doing it. I find that hard to believe. Maybe its just the people that you hang around with. Trust me, when you get older and wiser, you will be glad that you didn't get your tounge pierced. It is risky, can lead to infections, makes oral sex akward and looks wierd. You are still young and a little naive. You don't have to do something just because everyone else is doing it.

I have a tongue peircing. This is what you should know:

1) As Susan said, any place that will do this without your parents consent is not a good place to go. If they are willing to break this rule, what others are they breaking??
You can get HIV and other infections from peircing if the equipment is not properly cleaned, or if needles are reused. YOU CAN'T TELL BY LOOKING WHAT IS CLEAN. A good studio will check id, make you sign a waiver, make your parents sign a waiver, explain everything, show you cleaning procedures, unwrap new needles and other equipment IN FRONT OF YOU, make you remove shoes, and prevent anyone but the peircer, pericee and parents from being in the room (for sterilization-- similar to an operating room). If they do not do all of these things- they are not a place you want to be.

2)It hurts-- more than any other peircing I have gotten, and I have a lot, including genital peircings.

3) Your tongue swells so that it fills your whole mouth for at least a week-- you will not be able to eat properly, or talk easily. Mashed potatoes and soup only. You will not be able to hide it from your parents (who will probably make you take it out as soon as they see it anyway). I am serious- your tongue will be pressed against your teeth so that when you stick it out you will see the impression of your teeth on it. You will have to wash your mouth with listerine so often that the skin will peel off your tongue (turn white) in the first two weeks. No smoking or alcohol-- if you drink or smoke your tongue will swell extra. You also can't kiss (or perform oral sex) for two weeks.

4)Tongue peircing is dangeous. If your peircer does not do it correctly, you could lose nerves in your tongue that effect taste. Again, you don't want less than the best. Dentists are generally against it-- the barbell erodes the enamel on your teeth, especially if it has metal balls.

5)It is expensive-- you will pay for the initial peircing, plus a long bar to accomodate the swelling (I paid about $140 Canadian). Then in two weeks you will need a second, shorter bar (about $90 CDN) and plastic balls ($20CDN/per single ball). You can get cheaper jewelry* but pushing the screw end through your tongue will cause tearing that could lead to infection and longer healing times. Cheaper jewlery may also not be made of surgical-grade steel, which could cause problems.

*usually cheaper jewlery has the male(screw) end on the bar, and female on the balls-- the good stuff has a hole in the bar so that the end you push through your tongue is flat, and the balls have the male end "o-"

I like my tongue ring, but it is not something you should do recklessly. I'd suggest talking to your parents-- ask them why they object. Talk to them about their concerns in a calm way- show that you are doing research and know the risks. Maybe see if they will let you do it when you are 15 or 16, or if you get A's, or do extra chores. If they still won't let you, don't worry. When I was 15, everyone had eyebrow rings-- but now they just have eyebrow scars...

With all due respect,I seriously hope this fad passes. Of all the different things to put in your mouth, this isn't one of them. Any kind of metal placed in a moist, acidic or rough environment is subject to gradual deterioration and eventual breakage. Piercing a tongue not only risks infection, but the jewelry could accidentally come loose and be swallowed which could cause choking or lodge somewhere in the digestive tract and cause extremely serious damage and even death. Can you imagine waking up one morning and not finding it? Yipes!
The very first piercing my daughter got on her (eyebrow), got infected.
That alone could tell you something.

Gregorio

I've had a centre tongue piercing, and also venoms (two off-centre piercings). I found that (although I loved them dearly) they were a great deal of work, and not something to be entered into lightly, or uninformed.

If you're serious about wanting any form of body piercing, my advice is to wait until you are legal - anyone that'll pierce you while you're underage is not someone you want going near you with needles. Also, do your research! Know WHY you want the piercings you do - from your post it sounds as if you only want to get your tongue pierced because everyone else is doing it. Not a good reason for making a permant alteration to your body! (Yes, you can always take the jewellery out, but you will be left with scarring regardless)

I recommend going here for some good advice on piercing and tattooing: http://www.bmezine.com/

I wanted a tongue piercing when I was younger than 18 and I waited until I was 18 to get it. Now that I'm older I'm happy that I got it--it's one of my favorite piercings (and I've had 15 that I can remember, not just in the ears). Everything that Krista said about choosing a studio is true, but I had a slightly different experience than she did. When I got my tongue pierced it was the least painful piercing I've ever had. I was an undergrad in the dorms when I got it pierced, so I didn't have to tell my parents right away.

I'm not sure what the exchange rate is from American to Canadian, but I've gotten pierced at reputable studios in Los Angeles, Berkeley, and Santa Cruz (all in California), and if anyone tried to charge me more than $25 US for a body piercing that isn't an ear lobe piercing (which should cost less) or a genital piercing/special project (which should cost more), I would go somewhere else. There are plenty of places that will try to scare you into getting pierced at their studio and then charge you much more than they should. The jewelry should be internally threaded like Krista said, in the US it should cost about $30.

Anyway, please don't let your friends do your tongue piercing. It is very difficult to get a piercing straight so that it looks nice, and you don't want to go through the pain of a piercing only to realize that you don't like it later. (And you have to heal it before you can remove it!) When it is performed by an experienced piercer, a tongue ring is one of the least risky piercings. It makes oral sex more FUN (all of the guys I've been with have loved it) and I've been hired for good jobs and accepted to schools with the piercing in my mouth and visible. I say wait until you're 18, but then it's your body, go for it!

By the way, if you're thinking of getting a body piercing may I recommend researching it at www.bmezine.com . You don't have to look at the harder stuff or anything, but they have a lot of good information and knowledgeable people to answer any questions you may have.

Thanks your over all adivce krista, clay , and Susan made me have second thoughts about getting it done i know you dont have to do what others are doing and im sure when im eighteen i will probably change my mind about all this and say if someone wanted me to a have a ring in my tounge i would have been born with it!!! right!!!! well thank you soo much!!!!