Oral Aftercare Instructions
Axiom Body Piercing Studio Oral Aftercare Instructions
Thanks for choosing the Axiom for your piercing. Here at the Axiom we believe that our job is not done until the piercing is completely healed and that’s why we encourage follow-ups and questions. If you turn this sheet over you will find all our contact information including the studio number, Davo’s cell number, our e-mail and website address. We do Guarantee our piercing up to a year within normal uses but only if you follow the following aftercare instructions & have the receipt.
Here's what you will need to heal the piercing:
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A non-alcohol based antiseptic mouthwash. I suggest Biotene Antiseptic.
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Non-iodized Sea Salt
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Distilled Water
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Paper towels
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With non-tongue piercings Disposable medicine or shot glass size cups or an easy to clean shot glass.
Healing Stages: Healing can be divided into two stages:
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During the first stage, your body produces a tunnel of tissue around the piercing and the jewelry It is during this stage that the piercing is in fact an open wound and more prone to infections and growing shut. This information will cover the steps that need to be followed to reduce this. Due to the fact that everyone heals at different paces the healing time could be shorter or longer than the minimum healing time then listed. So if the piercing seems healed but you are unsure. stop by the piercing studio and ask a professional.
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The second stage is called the seasoning or toughening period. during this stage, your body adds layer upon layer of tissue to the tunnel to make the piercing permanent. This stage can take from I year to 3 years to complete and removing the jewelry for long periods of time can resulting in the loss or closing of the piercing. A good rule is if you like the piercing leave something in it. Oral piercing are more prone than other piercing to closing even after a number of years. With oral piercings, you should only remove jewelry to be immediately replaced with jewelry.
NORMAL REACTIONS: Everyone's body reacts differently but common reactions are:
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Slight bleeding off and on for the first few days.
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Tenderness. itchiness, slight bruising, and slight redness for the first week to two weeks on or around the piercing.
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Inside the mouth, it’s common to see secretion of a yellowish/whitish fluid that Hangs on the ring throughout the healing time called Lymph Discharge. Outside of the mouth, this will often crust and harden on the jewelry
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A tightening around the jewelry throughout the healing time.
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Swelling for the first 3-5 days.
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A white ring of tissue around the piercing holes. This is scar tissue.
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Nesting where the jewelry end makes an indentation on the inside the mouth is common.
Basic Care:
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Rinse with the antiseptic mouthwash for 30 seconds two to three times daily for the first two to four weeks or until the piercing is healed.
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Warm sea salts rinse two to three times daily for 3-5 minutes. Take a cup(8oz) of distilled water, heat it up in the microwave to a comfortable warm temperature then add a 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. Rinse and swish it around your mouth for 3-5 minutes.
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With Labret, lip cheek, beauty mark and etc... piercing you must also follow the aftercare instructions outlined in “Axiom Body Piercing Studio Aftercare Instructions”.
Reducing Swelling:
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Swelling can greatly be reduced by reducing your intake of alcohol, tobacco, spicy foods, or foods that are hot in temperature and/or other irritants.
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Gently sucking on crushed ice and drinking ice water.
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Taking ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin). Do not take ibuprofen on an empty stomach.
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Do Not Play with the piercing. Movement and abuse will increase swelling.
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With tongue piercing reducing the amount of talking you do for the first few days can reduce swelling.
What Kinds of Food Are Best:
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Cold items such as smoothies, applesauce, frozen yogurt, ice cream, baby food, Jello, and soup broth (not tomato-based and at room temperature). It is also best to stay to a soft food diet until the swelling reduces and then only eat solid food when comfortable and always be careful to take your time. If it takes you half an hour to eat one meal it’s better than causing damage to your teeth and/or gums. Also, I strongly suggest eating 2 to 3 cartons of yogurt a day. Yogurt can reduce the likelihood of Thrush.
Removing Jewelry and Downsizing Jewelry:
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With Tongue piercings, the jewelry length should be reduced within 7 -10 days. Do not remove the jewelry for any reason while it is healing and even after it is healed only remove the jewelry to replace it because you produce tissue in your mouth at such a fast pace. It is not uncommon to remove the jewelry for short periods and cause the hole to close even on healed piercings.
Jewelry Types and Materials:
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Avoid jewelry that is too long or has overly large ends, shaped objects, or things that hang off the ends. Also vibrating or glow in the dark ends is dangerous and not suggested. The jewelry should be made of a material that will not deteriorate in the mouth. Materials like Implant Grade Steel and Titanium are best. Gold should be at least 14kt and be solid not plated or filled. Acrylic and medical plastics are a good option for ends because the reduce the likelihood of damage to teeth, gums, and the bone structure in the mouth. However, they should be checked regularly for damage and replaced often.
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Lip Piercing - a ring or curved barbell should be worn, Labret style jewelry will tend to get caught on teeth and cause damage.
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Labret Style Piercing and Tongue Piercings - a straight barbell style with a flat disc on one side is best. Due to location and the angle of the piercing rings would need to be oversized to wrap around tissue and would increase the likelihood of damage.
Precautions & Abuse:
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Check the tightness of the balls if the jewelry is a barbell to avoid ball loss.
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Do not play/pull or over handle the piercing until it is fully healed. Do keep in mind that playing with the piercing even after it is healed will increase the chances of damage to teeth, bones, and gums.
Cross Contamination Prevention:
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No oral contact/wet mouth kissing and sexual contact with the piercing for the first 8 weeks. Understand that even with a well-healed oral piercing that you are more acceptable to S.T.D.s during oral sex. So, please practice Safe Sex.
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Also avoid putting things in your mouth that may introduce harmful bacteria including unwashed hands, pens, toothpicks, etc......
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Always wash your hands with antibacterial soap before handling the piercing or jewelry.
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Do not share food items or food utensils with other people. Make sure that your own utensils are clean.
INFECTIONS:
CAUSES: Infection is caused by contact with bacteria fungi and/or other pathogens. These can be caused by contact with dirty hands. Oral contact (including your one saliva) exchanging of bodily fluids, hair cosmetics, oils, unwashed clothing/bedding/towels, and or submerging the piercing into natural waters, hot tubs, swimming pools and or unclean bathtubs.
SIgns: Redness, discoloration, swelling, heat/fever, on or around the piercing, pain that is throbbing and/or shooting/travels, pus, and/or discharge that is unusual in color like grayish, yellowish and/or greenish.
WHAT DO I NEED TO DO? First off contact your piercer so they can take a look at it. The two worst things that you can do is put off getting it taken care of and/or removing the jewelry. Both can cause the infection to spread if not taken care of. When in doubt see your doctor,
The Axiom @ SKT/3800Douglas Ave / Des Moines, Iowa 50310
515-255-4430 / Mobile / Google # 515-966-4814 . Mobile 515-803-7009
E-mail davo@axiompiercing.com/web site http://www.axiompiercing.com / Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Axiompiercing
DaVo’s Personal Site - http://davoaxiom.com
Copyright 1994-2018 The Axiom/David “DaVo” Wilkins
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