WhitneyTongue Splitting
June 27th 2008 21:27
Tongue splitting, also known as a forked tongue or bifurcated tongue, is just what it sounds like... A split tongue.
Essentially, the fibrous septum that divides the tongue naturally is cut, which separates the tongue into two halves. In theory, the tongue can be split as far back as where it meets the base of the mouth, and if you past this point, you'll endanger the muscles potentially causing a speech impediment.
You can have your tongue split just on the end or half way back, if you wish. The main restriction to how far the cut is, is when you get close to the base of the tongue.
You should not cut your tongue in any more pieces than two, as cutting more than two halves involves the lingual nerves and glands as well as major blood vessels.
There is more than one method to splitting your tongue, but you want to make sure that whichever method is used, you want to make sure that it's being performed safely and by a professional.
Oral Surgeon
You want to consider this method first, as it is the safest method to splitting your tongue. Although, by seeking the assistance of an oral surgeon, you're going to be paying more than the other methods, you'll at least be getting the safest service.
The surgeon will apply an anesthestic and use a laser to slowly cut through the tissue until the tongue is fully bifurcated. The laser is the best method, as it gives the surgeon the ability to cauterize the wound as the laser cuts.
There is minimal bleeding until the surgeon is suturing the wound. At most, the process will take about 15-20 minutes to perform, and about 1-2 weeks for primary healing and 1 month for a fully healed tongue.
Tie-Off
This is an earlier method that requires a healed tongue piercing. You can actually try a few different methods within this one. Basically, you tie a loop through the healed piercing and leave one end of the loop on the first inside of the piercing with the other end on the tip of the tongue. You slowly tighten the loop as much as you can in one sitting, and then tighten more as you go along. The loop slowly works its way through the tongue. This will pose extreme discomfort as it is a gradual method of splitting your tongue; it requires a very high pain tolerance, as the glands around the ttongue tend to swell.
Some people will get multiple center tongue piercings and begin to stretch each healed piercing and then cutting the tissue in-between each piercing and the tip by using dental floss of sutures.
Scalpelling
Simply put, the tongue is split down the middle using a clean blade. This method is very bloody to the point where the bleeding can be hard to control. If you go to a professional, they may use an electrocautery pen or a branding tool to cut through the tongue.
In this case, it's recommended to have a healed, large-gauge tongue piercing to provide a good foundation for the split.
Cautery
Similar to scalpelling, except a heated blade or tool is used to burn through the tongue, which completely eliminates bleeding but increases peripheral damage and pain.
Suturing
The method requires a suture pulling at the top of the skin of the tongue down into the split, which leaves a rounded, more natural appearance.
When healing a split tongue, it's actually a relatively quick process. Primary healing is about 1-2 weeks, where the the split should be fully healed within one month, give or take.
You may experience a little regrowth, where the tongue is trying to heal back together, which is normal, and is very common when the split is a short split, but even in longer splits, it's not uncommon to experience a 50% closure. If you can keep the wound open, you can prevent your tongue from growing back together, but even still within the first year or so, you will experience some closure.
What may help is if you start with a large-gauge tongue piercing that has been fully healed, as this will anchor the split and can possibliy eliminated closure if the piercing marks the back of the split. The tongue will not try to heal itself around the barbell. so by having this healed back marker, you really only have to worry about the front half of the split from closing back up.
With any body modification, you want to be aware of the risks and health concerns. When referring to a tongue split, the risks can include:
* Secondary risks associated with the anesthesia (if performed in a medical environment)
* Extreme and potentially uncontrolled loss of blood if major blood vessels are hit (if performed in a non-medical environment)
* Damage to nerves and glands
* Infection
* Scarring
* Minor speech impediment
In a worse case scenario, if the tongue swells to an extreme size, it can possibly block the airway.
It is possible to reverse a tongue split by suturing the tongue back together to induce it to grow together. During the reversal operation, you may encounter scarring and other damages, to include permanent damages to tongue mobility. You may, also, suffer more nerve damage from the reversal procedure than the initial split.
It's highly recommended that if you think there's a possibility that you'll want to have a tongue split reversed, that you never get it done in the first place.
Side Note: Tongue splitting is accepted and legal everywhere except in the US military. They will either discharge anyone with their tongue split or will force them to undergo reversal surgery. But, even though the procedure is legal everywhere, there are a few states that have a pending legislation, so check your state legislations before you get yoru tongue split.
You can have your tongue split just on the end or half way back, if you wish. The main restriction to how far the cut is, is when you get close to the base of the tongue.
You should not cut your tongue in any more pieces than two, as cutting more than two halves involves the lingual nerves and glands as well as major blood vessels.
With work and training, a person with a split tongue can control both sides so that they move independently.
There is more than one method to splitting your tongue, but you want to make sure that whichever method is used, you want to make sure that it's being performed safely and by a professional.
Oral Surgeon
You want to consider this method first, as it is the safest method to splitting your tongue. Although, by seeking the assistance of an oral surgeon, you're going to be paying more than the other methods, you'll at least be getting the safest service.
The surgeon will apply an anesthestic and use a laser to slowly cut through the tissue until the tongue is fully bifurcated. The laser is the best method, as it gives the surgeon the ability to cauterize the wound as the laser cuts.
There is minimal bleeding until the surgeon is suturing the wound. At most, the process will take about 15-20 minutes to perform, and about 1-2 weeks for primary healing and 1 month for a fully healed tongue.
Tie-Off
This is an earlier method that requires a healed tongue piercing. You can actually try a few different methods within this one. Basically, you tie a loop through the healed piercing and leave one end of the loop on the first inside of the piercing with the other end on the tip of the tongue. You slowly tighten the loop as much as you can in one sitting, and then tighten more as you go along. The loop slowly works its way through the tongue. This will pose extreme discomfort as it is a gradual method of splitting your tongue; it requires a very high pain tolerance, as the glands around the ttongue tend to swell.
Some people will get multiple center tongue piercings and begin to stretch each healed piercing and then cutting the tissue in-between each piercing and the tip by using dental floss of sutures.
Scalpelling
Simply put, the tongue is split down the middle using a clean blade. This method is very bloody to the point where the bleeding can be hard to control. If you go to a professional, they may use an electrocautery pen or a branding tool to cut through the tongue.
In this case, it's recommended to have a healed, large-gauge tongue piercing to provide a good foundation for the split.
Cautery
Similar to scalpelling, except a heated blade or tool is used to burn through the tongue, which completely eliminates bleeding but increases peripheral damage and pain.
Suturing
The method requires a suture pulling at the top of the skin of the tongue down into the split, which leaves a rounded, more natural appearance.
When healing a split tongue, it's actually a relatively quick process. Primary healing is about 1-2 weeks, where the the split should be fully healed within one month, give or take.
You may experience a little regrowth, where the tongue is trying to heal back together, which is normal, and is very common when the split is a short split, but even in longer splits, it's not uncommon to experience a 50% closure. If you can keep the wound open, you can prevent your tongue from growing back together, but even still within the first year or so, you will experience some closure.
What may help is if you start with a large-gauge tongue piercing that has been fully healed, as this will anchor the split and can possibliy eliminated closure if the piercing marks the back of the split. The tongue will not try to heal itself around the barbell. so by having this healed back marker, you really only have to worry about the front half of the split from closing back up.
With any body modification, you want to be aware of the risks and health concerns. When referring to a tongue split, the risks can include:
* Secondary risks associated with the anesthesia (if performed in a medical environment)
* Extreme and potentially uncontrolled loss of blood if major blood vessels are hit (if performed in a non-medical environment)
* Damage to nerves and glands
* Infection
* Scarring
* Minor speech impediment
In a worse case scenario, if the tongue swells to an extreme size, it can possibly block the airway.
It is possible to reverse a tongue split by suturing the tongue back together to induce it to grow together. During the reversal operation, you may encounter scarring and other damages, to include permanent damages to tongue mobility. You may, also, suffer more nerve damage from the reversal procedure than the initial split.
It's highly recommended that if you think there's a possibility that you'll want to have a tongue split reversed, that you never get it done in the first place.
Side Note: Tongue splitting is accepted and legal everywhere except in the US military. They will either discharge anyone with their tongue split or will force them to undergo reversal surgery. But, even though the procedure is legal everywhere, there are a few states that have a pending legislation, so check your state legislations before you get yoru tongue split.
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