Tongue piercing - taking it out for extended periods

reesepieces

I think mine healed within a week, it didn't take it long at all.

Mine did too...about a week.

remembertheharddrive

I've had mine for 12 years and I can leave my bar out for 3-4 days at a time, but the space is noticeably tighter around the barbell by the end of the third day. If you want to keep the piercing, go with the clear retainer like hush7hush suggested. They lay flat against your tongue so it does minimal damage to your gums and the roof of your mouth.

Also, choosing the right size barbell is a BIG help with receding gums. If the barbell is too large for your mouth, you're going to cause damage. If your dentist is noticing the effects, consider the retainer and getting a smaller barbell for when you do want your piercing in.

My barbell is already 3/5 inch long - it started to grow out a few months after I first had it done, so I dropped down the shortest length I could find as part of the solution. Maybe I could drop it down to 1/2 inch if I did some searching. There is very little "extra" room as it is, unfortunately. It's good to hear that shorter length may improve gum recession. At this point, though, it sounds like I'm already doing what everyone has suggested - it may be time to give up, if rotating it out for several days at a time doesn't help.

healthyjen342

they close up pretty fast...I have had mine for sheesh...8 years now? I would suggest going to claire's or something and getting the spacer..which serves the purpose you are looking for...it it just long enough to fit through the tongue..it doesnt have a ball on top or bottom...

powersurges

I had the same information from my dentist about the lower gum. I didn't want to take it out (I know that sounds silly) so I went to a piercing store and bought a new bar. What you can get is the bar that has a flat edge which most wear on top as you know so it is flush with your tongue. I flipped it upside down. The flat side on the bottom and the ball on top. It doesn't rub on the bottom at all of your mouth. I just broke mine and put the old bar back in. I need to go to the shop again soon and get a new one. I don't want my teeth falling out either!
I have had mine going on 15 years

remembertheharddrive

I had the same information from my dentist about the lower gum. I didn't want to take it out (I know that sounds silly) so I went to a piercing store and bought a new bar. What you can get is the bar that has a flat edge which most wear on top as you know so it is flush with your tongue. I flipped it upside down. The flat side on the bottom and the ball on top. It doesn't rub on the bottom at all of your mouth. I just broke mine and put the old bar back in. I need to go to the shop again soon and get a new one. I don't want my teeth falling out either!
I have had mine going on 15 years

That's a fantastic idea, flipping it. The retainer I have is one-sided flat too. The right/perfect jewelry is so hard to find. A ball that doesn't loosen, the short length, made from teflon, not metal, flat heads...oy.

yaitzae1

everybody's different...i've been without mine for a week now and still intact...one of my friends had it off for almost a year and one day she just went an bought a new piercing and she slide it in like nothing happened....

donna1981xx

I'm seriously thinking I'm a freak after reading this!! I had my tongue pierced 15 years ago, I took it out 5 years ago because I thought I was too grown up for it now. Today I found my old tongue bar out of curiosity I tried it...it went in!! 5 years out and its not closed up!! I'm in shock...I'm dying to try out all my other old body piercings now!! (Also all removed 5 years ago)Lol

drahz

I think it depends on if you kept the original 18 gauge you got priced with or if you put a larger on in, and also how much you played with it. I had my piercing done in 2000(12 year from the day this was written) and took it out in 2004 when I joined the army. I was able to put it back in the 6 months after basic and AIT with some discomfort but had to take it out again after a week because I got in to trouble with my command. Now it's been over 6 years and last Friday(July 21, 2012) , out of boredom, I decided to take a look at my hole and realized that it never fully closed and that there was only a small amount of scar tissue there in the middle of the piercing location. after some gradual fiddling, and proper sterilization, I was able to pop a very small barbell back in and have since gone up back up to a 14g. I originally had a 12g when I took it out, but I played with the piercing so much when I first had it that I don't think it will ever fully close.
I'm currently treating it like a new piercing and avoiding milk and rinsing after eating, and using Gly oxide once a day to remove debris. Surprisingly the piercing doesn’t hurt at all, but my pallet, gums, and the soft under part of my tongue where your saliva glands reside are sore from the barbell's presence and the rubbing. Motrin or aspirin, and popsicles are doing the trick for pain management. I can't wait till I get back to the 12g it was so much more comfortable.

One other note: after having the barbell back in I notice that my bite was fixed! For the last year or so my teeth were moving in and crowding my tongue and the barbell's presence has made my mouth wider again. go figure!

I'll post again soon to contribulate to the conversation since it appears I'm the more experienced like donna1981xx. I'll also be consulting with a piercer today.

drahz

I just got off the phone and was told that i was doing everything right by treating my tongue as if it was new.
Also, she wasnt remotly surprised by the length of time i had it out. The only thing she did say wich i didnt follow was to use "sterilized" jewlrey. I starilized my old barbel by boiling it for 45 minutes and soaking it alcohol, and he's right that that was risky. what the pircer was saying she has is sterilized in the same way medical instraments are to eliminate the possibility of contaminated jewlrey, but in my case there was no blood so i doubt it will be an issue.

Good to know though, and i recomend doing what the pircer said. So, if i dont post again it either went well or i'm dead

annihilatedd

Hey guys so now idk if this is an old thread or if anyone will see this, but ive had my piercing for three years or so and on four seperate occassions ive left it out for over a week, today it has been over two weeks and it went half way woth no resistance and a little push and its through minimal pain ZERO soreness no tissueextruded. So idk maybe im a mutant i can tell its healing and it doesnt slide right in, but i can go seven days pop the bar through and go another seven repeating the process efectively having no tongue ring at any time but i keep the hole for that special occassion

lovesheri23

I had my piercing for 12 years and took it out 5 weeks ago.I decided not to wear it anymore. My hubby saw it on my bathroom sink and ask why I took it out. I'm taking a break I said. He sounded so disappointed lol. So I thought, well once it closes, I'm not gonna get it redone, so I'll try to put it back and see what happens. Sure enough, after trying for 10 minutes, it went back in, a little maneuvering, and it went right in, no forcing, no blood, just feels a little tight. So I guess it does depend on the person.

PurringMyrrh

I've had mine for about 10 years. It's currently out and likely partially closed as it's been out for a bit. I'll eventually shove one back through (a partial re-pierce) here soon. It's pretty easy to do if you're not too squeamish. Even if you've had it out and it's closing, there should be partial holes still there. Just shove it down from the top as far as it will go, then remove and go from the bottom until it's through. Even if it has been closed for a while (I've done it over a year, maybe two, after taking it out) it will usually pop through if you're not afraid to apply the pressure. I've had to do this about 3-4 times over the ten years. I didn't say it felt great, but if you've gone through getting it done once, I figure you have the balls to do it yourself. It's definitely no worse than going to get it done again (and cheaper) and there's less pain and swelling.

My two cents.

darkrose20

If you've ever removed a fully healed tongue piercing (like after years of having it), how long did it take for your tongue to heal so that you could no longer slide a barbell through it?

I've just trying to get an estimate. I've been talking about it with my dentist and receding gum lines as a result of the piercing (on the interior of lower front teeth, which is quite common). I would like to retain the piercing for special occasions, but I'd like to keep my tongue empty the majority of the time in order to minimize the damage to my gums and teeths. I'm trying to get an estimate for how long I can remove the barbell at a time (such as days or even longer) before my tongue uses its superpower of healing to close it up. I've had it pierced for 11 years, so its not a fresh piercing whatsoever.

Thanks for the input!

Special occasions? What special occasions could warrant having a tongue piercing?

MstngSammy

It never really closes up...it just gets super tight. Your tongue is a muscle after all. I had mine out for 12 years and was going through some jewelry and thought hmm.....It was tight but it went right in.

vasairiah

Everyone is different. I had mine in for about a year and then removed it. I left it without anything in for about 3 months, then out my bar back in. I kept it in for another 6+ months and then took it out. It closed perm after 4 weeks ????????

I have tried to put the original gauge bar in it again and it won't go through. I'm not squeamish and have tried multiple times.

lookin4gains

I've had mine out for over 9 years and can still fit a barbell through. Granted I had it gauged to a 00. I don't think it will ever close...

mad_lifting_runner

Yep...i had my original barbell in for like 6 years and took it out back in 2001.

I can still get the original piercing gauge through it 13 years later. Everyone's different.

WhatAnAss

I had mine done about 14 years ago. Mine was out almost a year and never closed. I just put mine in a couple of weeks ago. My friend took hers out for a dental appt and it closed within the hour.

mahshell

I think it varies person to person. I know people who took it out for a day and it closed up. I had mine done 9 years ago and I've taken it out for 6 months at a time and have had no problem putting it back in.

Here's something to think about: What if the closing time is relative to healing time? For example, my fresh piercing healed in a few days and I had no bleeding or serious swelling when it was done. A friend of mine bled like crazy and took a few weeks to heal, and when he lost one of the balls and had it out for a day and a half it closed up. So maybe the longer it takes to originally heal, the faster it closes back up...?

PurringMyrrh

I've had mine out for so long now, I'm doubtful I can jam it through again. I've re-pierced it several times on my own, but the longest time out was a year I believe...it's been longer than that now. Still gonna try after I order a thinner stainless steel bar.