Location: This is a piercing that starts at the base of the tongue and passes through several layers of tissue, emerging underneath the chin.
Alternate Names: Sprung Piercing, Deep Tissue Oral Piercing, Jawbone Piercing, Chin Piercing.
Piercing: Although it doesn’t penetrate the body cavity, the mandible piercing does pass through a sensitive area that includes muscular tissue and runs in close proximity to a variety of veins, important nerves, and some delicate cartilage. Thus this piercing unequivocally requires the attention of a master piercer with extensive knowledge of both the potential risk factors and the surrounding anatomy. Many piercers will refuse to attempt the mandible piercing altogether.
Aftercare: Although they often have an extended healing time due to their location and the amount of tissue that has been passed through, it’s entirely possible to properly heal this type of piercing. Runoff or “oozing” of the salivary juices is a common issue during the healing process, and like other oral piercings, special mouthwash is often used for aftercare.
Jewelry: Mandible piercings are performed almost exclusively with long, flexible barbells composed of biocompatible materials like bioflex, bioplast, PTFE, or tygon. The visible ball that rests below the chin can be changed out accordingly to accommodate fashion preferences.
Prevalence: Due to the nature of this “extreme” oral piercing, you won’t see very many of them hanging around. In terms of general prevalence worldwide, the number of persons who have successfully healed a mandible piercing and worn it for over two years is likely to number in the dozens, rather than the hundreds. Far more prevalent are the a number of chin dermals that fake the same general look.
