I haven't read the responses to the thread but I can imagine that most people aren't too thrilled with the idea. That's okay.. to each their own.

Here's my .02. If you want it, get it.

A tongue piercing is incredibly easy to remove and you don't have to worry about unattractive scars. Yes you will absolutely hear about negative experiences. There are just as many bad experiences as there are horrible, unethical, ignorant piercers. All you hear about are the idiots who play with their piercings against their teeth, then complain about those awful piercings when they chip their tooth. Duh? Or those who don't follow healing treatment to a T.

A clean studio is a must. You absolutely have to get pierced with a new needle (14 gauge or a lower number ie: 12 gauge.. the lower the number, the bigger the needle). This is because anything like a 16 gauge will rip through your tongue with incredible ease. Healing jewelry must be surgical stainless steel or titanium. Titanium is a lighter, easier for your body to accept, and is a better choice for allergy sufferers. However, surgical stainless steel ("316L") is absolutely fine for most piercees. Internal threading is a must. External threading (when the post has the threading, rather than the ball having the threading) is a no-no.. especially for healing piercings. Your tissue was just cut. The external threading will tear it again.

Healing is a pain in the butt. You can't chew, spit, suck out of a straw.. you can't do anything really. I lived off slurpees for the first few days. After a week of congee, soup and slurpees, I was able to eat soft food. I think the pain subsided after 2 weeks. But the healing itself wasn't complete until probably around the 6 month mark. Everyone heals differently.. I healed my first round of lip piercings after over a year. The second time around, they healed in a couple months. Be prepared for constant cleaning.

The great thing is that they won't leave an unslightly scar like facial piercings do. They're also very easy to hide. Acrylic has it's pros and cons. They can't be properly sterilized (the autoclave would melt it). They're also not as compatible with your body as surgical stainless steel or titanium are. They are cheap though, and if you get them from a reliable source, they are pretty neat to look at. A WONDERFUL alternative to acrylic for hiding purposes is glass retainers. They CAN be properly sterilized, are relatively inexpensive, and are incredibly hard to see.

Personally, I have three. I've heard it all.. I did it to be "cool", I just want the attention, I'm just doing it for that adult reason, I'm going to chip my teeth, I'm going to have a lisp, I'm going to get an infection and die, yada yada yada. I've heard it all. I didn't do it for any of those reasons, and I'm still alive, lisp-free, with all my teeth and breathing. I have three so maybe I did something right? AKA RESEARCHING respectable artists and taking proper care of my piercings. I paid an absurd amount of money for them because a good piercer is worth every penny. I love my piercings -- If I had more room, I'd probably have even more. I (note: I - not you) love them and that's all that matters.

Here's a pic of all three