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At some point you’ve likely run across a picture on the internet of someone with a split tongue. Because the tongue is made of two muscles that are split down the middle, it’s relatively simple to split your tongue in two. After the split is complete, they can actually control each side of their tongue individually. We’d like to take this moment to note that even the simpler method of splitting by using a tongue piercing should always be done under the supervision of a professional.
What is Tongue Splitting?
Tongue splitting is done to actually split your tongue down the middle. As we’ve mentioned in our article about the snake eyes piercing, your tongue is actually made of two muscles. When the tongue is split, you can develop a control over each muscle separately. Tongue splitting can be performed at once by cutting it, or over a longer period of time by using a pre-existing tongue piercing. No matter the method, splitting your tongue should always be done under the supervision of a professional.
How to Use a Tongue Piercing to Split Your Tongue
Splitting your tongue from an existing piercing is typically called the “tie off method” because you actually use dental floss or fishing line to make knots from the piercing location to the tip of your tongue. This actually elongates your piercing until it splits your tongue completely.
The older your tongue piercing is, the better. You want a really strong fistula before you begin the tongue splitting process. Using the tie off method, you will thread a thin floss through your piercing and tie it tightly. After a bit of time (likely around 2 weeks), your line will be loose because the piercing hole has elongated. You’ll need to remove the old line and replace with a new, tight knot. You’ll slowly repeat this process until your tongue is completely split.
Tongue Splitting Healing Process
The tie off method is actually the most convenient for the healing process. Because it’s so slow, it actually heals while it’s splitting. This makes for an easier adjustment for eating and speaking. With other methods of tongue splitting, some people need to keep the ends separate so the tongue doesn’t fuse back together, which makes it even more difficult to get used to eating, speaking, and otherwise using your tongue.
Is Splitting Your Tongue Permanent?
Splitting your tongue is more permanent than a piercing, but it can be undone. It’s very rare, but your tongue may merge back together on its own if they aren’t separated continuously. Other than that, there is a surgical method of re-merging which involves cutting off the healed sections on either side of the tongue and allowing it to heal back together. However the surgery is of course very painful, expensive, and could be difficult to find, so you should only split your tongue if you are prepared for it to be permanent.
Is Tongue Splitting Dangerous?
While some methods of tongue splitting are safer than others, no method is completely safe. You may experience such side effects as: producing more saliva than normal, losing sensation in your mouth or a decreased sense of taste, or loss of control of your tongue. If a more dangerous method is used you may experience excessive bleeding, mouth infections, or death of tissue. For this reason, all methods should be monitored by a professional.
Conclusion
While the tie off method is generally the safest and is often thought of as a safe way to perform your own body modification, you should still perform it while supervised. You should begin with an old and well healed tongue piercing to minimize potential damages. This method will take a few months, but once the tongue is completely split, you will have a much easier time getting accustomed to speaking and eating. If you ever need to reverse your split, you can have a surgery to remove it.
