What Are Cheek and Dimple Piercings?

These piercings consist of a piercing on the cheek to give the illusion of a dimple. It can also be a piercing in an actual dimple to highlight the area to others. 

The piercing will give you the look of having dimples and you can also add a bit of sparkle to make them stand out more. After a period of time when having the piercing, you will actually get a divot in the skin to look like a dimple. However, this is a scar, not a cute dimple from your childhood.

A Complete Guide to Cheek and Dimple Piercings

There are lots of things to consider before going ahead with a cheek or dimple piercing. Not only is it quite painful but it will also scar after only being in a short amount of time. It accentuates your cheeks and dimples, it will continue to do this when you remove the piercing but it won’t look quite as cute.

You should also think about how you will care for the piercing. Your mouth is full of bacteria, saliva and food and this will all get up close and personal with your piercing as your cheek piercing will enter the side of your mouth.

You could also risk chewing on your piercing and possibly damaging your teeth, which is not a great look to have. 

Dermal Cheek and Dimple Piercings

A dermal piercing looks similar to a cheek piercing but there is a difference with the procedure. It goes through your skin on the outside of your mouth but it doesn’t go right through the skin to the inside of your mouth. It will just go through the surface of the cheek. 

This means that you don’t have to worry about the healing skin inside your mouth and the aftercare procedure is slightly simpler. 

With this type of piercing, you will still get scarring on your cheek from the piercing. As it’s not piercing all the way through the skin you won’t quite get the same dimpled look as you would with a standard cheek piercing. 

Preparation For a Cheek and Dimple Piercing

The first thing that you should do when you start to think about getting a cheek and dimple piercing is to choose the right piercer. It’s important that you get the right person for the job and don’t just choose the first person you find.

They should be a professional with lots of experience, especially with cheek and dimple piercings. This is a tricky piercing to do so it’s important that the piercer knows what they’re doing. 

Your piercer should examine your mouth both outside and inside to understand where the parotid duct is and mark it so that they don’t rupture it. The parotid duct drains the saliva in your mouth. If this gets damaged it can lead to all kinds of problems inside your mouth.

Symmetry is key with a cheek and dimple piercing as you don’t want them to be at different levels. This will be very noticeable and there’s nothing you can do about it once it’s done. Your piercer should mark the spot where the piercing will go and use a ruler to make sure that both sides are the same.

Before you go for your appointment you should make sure that your face is cleaned with no makeup. You should also clean your teeth properly and use mouthwash to make sure that there are no bacteria that will cause infection.

We would also recommend eating something before you have it done as you’ll find it uncomfortable to eat for a while following the piercing. Clean your teeth after you’ve eaten.

Pain of The Piercing

The pain of a cheek and dimple piercing isn’t too bad and it’s even been said that it’s tolerable. However, as you’re getting two piercings in one sitting this can be very painful as both sides of your face are being pierced at the same time.

There is no cartilage in your cheeks so you don’t have this to contend with. Most of the pain associated with this type of piercing will be experienced after the procedure.

Your cheeks will swell and you may find it difficult to chew or eat food and even to talk. This will make it difficult to go to work or go about your daily routine, so you should plan this beforehand. 

Healing of The Piercing

To reduce the swelling following a cheek and dimple piercing, you can use an ice pack. This should go down within a week after the procedure. The healing process can take from a few months, up to a whole year for it to heal properly.

You should be mindful that as soon as the piercing is done you will be left with a scar. There’s no way around this and it will be in a highly visible place on your face so you need to consider this before having the piercing.

Aftercare

The aftercare with your cheek and dimple piercing is important as is every piercing. As this goes into your mouth you need to be extra vigilant with your aftercare process. 

You should keep the pierced area clean at all times, both outside and inside your mouth. You can clean the outside with warm water and a saline solution two to three times a day. Use a cotton swab to clean around the piercing, don’t turn the piercing or play with it as this may cause irritation and infection. 

The inside of your mouth is a little trickier, you will need to keep this clean by using a mouthwash. The mouthwash should be a saline solution made from mixing together non-iodized sea salt and distilled water. 

Make sure that you wash your hands thoroughly before touching the piercing or the skin around the piercing. 

Problems With a Cheek and Dimple Piercing

The piercing in your cheek and dimple will be positioned scarily close to the parotid duct. This duct is responsible for draining saliva in the mouth and if it gets damaged it can lead to many issues. These are; dehydration, difficulty with swallowing, increased risk of cavities and increased risk of infection. 

The symptoms of this can be a dry mouth initially, followed by a bad taste in the mouth and possible pus. More severe symptoms are swelling around the jaw or neck. If you notice any of these symptoms following a cheek or dimple piercing, you should consult your doctor. 

Infections are a worry with these types of piercings. You should minimize the risk by cleaning the piercing area thoroughly and not moving the piercing. It’s tempting to play with it with your tongue, don’t! 

Jewelry Types

The best metal for jewelry for this type of piercing would be surgical steel or titanium. Gold would be another good option. The first piece of jewelry that you have should be larger with a longer bar as this will need to accommodate the swelling. 

Once the piercing has healed fully, you can then start to look for jewelry that you want in there. This can be a small stud, a sparkly gemstone or even a charm. You shouldn’t even try to put a ring in this type of piercing, it’s just not suitable.

Your piercer should be consulted before caning your piercing and also regarding what type of back to put on this. There are different backs available and most people prefer a flat disc back so that it doesn’t interfere with eating.

Conclusion

Cheek and dimple piercings are relatively new piercings to get but they are increasing in popularity, especially with the younger generations. They can look quite cute when done properly and will highlight your dimples or give you the look of dimples. 

There are lots of things to think about before getting this done. You will probably be having both sides of your face pierced at the same time so you need to consider the pain and healing time for this. You also need to think about the scar. There’s no getting around this, as soon as the piercing goes in a scar will show. 

Make sure that you check with your workplace or school that this will be acceptable. It’s a highly visible piercing that can’t be hidden or removed initially, so you should make sure that all will be ok with this.

If you then decide to go ahead, look after them properly and you will have great looking dimples at all times.