Tongue Piercing

Posted on October 11, 2007 in Types of Body Piercing

Tongue piercing is the most common and popular form of piercing. In fact it is not a new practice. It is being practiced since ages. Tongue piercing was a common ritual among people of ancient Aztecs and Mayas of Central America. Haida, Kwakiutul, and Tlinglit tribes who belong to American Northwest also used to practice tongue piercing. In their rituals they used to pierce the tongue to draw blood to propitiate the gods.

How Tongue Piercing is Done?

Tongue piercing is not a painful task as tongue is a striated muscle, so the needle just slips in between these striations. The tongue do swells up after piercing but regains its original form after few days. Tongue is first pierced with the long barbell; after the swelling subsides it is replaced by a proper size barbell. Usually tongue has a dimple in the front region and it is considered to be the perfect place for piercing. After piercing you won’t be able to talk or eat solid food properly for some days. This sometimes may lead to short time depressions. You need to plan your tongue piercing time according to your job requirements, big weekends or vacations.

Tongue Piercing Jewelry

Barbell is the most common type of jewelry used for tongue piercing. These barbells are available in colored plastic, gold plated surgical steel and surgical steel. After the tongue is healed, the long barbell can be replaced by small balls, tongue retainers or labret studs. There is a large variety of jewelry options for tongue piercing. You can go for jewelry like large or small balls in gemstone, UV that glows in the dark, glitter, colored Acrylic, surgical steel and gold plated surgical steel. If you want to hide your tongue piercing then you can try flat top, painted in flesh colored.

Healing after Tongue Piercing

It takes around 2 weeks to heal tongue piercing. Usually it is difficult to develop any infection as saliva contains anti-bacterial enzymes. Overuse of mouthwashes with astringent may neutralize these enzymes hence turning the tongue brown or green. If it occurs it is advised to reduce the mouthwash quantity you are using. You would observe slight swelling on the day of piercing, but the worst swelling would appear between 2-6 days after piercing. During this time you would find your tongue to be very uncoordinated and may also find difficulty while talking.

Aftercare for Tongue Piercing

Comments

49 Responses to “Tongue Piercing”

  1. Kassie Says:

    I was told to stay away from dairy products, like milk, cheese, and yogurt because of the yeast and bacteria in them.
    I also suggest biotene as a mouth wash, it is alcohol free and doesnt burn at all. Its great for oral infections and tongue peircings.

  2. Keesha Says:

    I want to get my tongue done but I have seizures and my mom is afraid that getting my tongue done will cause a seizure. I was wounder if there is any possibility that it will? I really want my tongue done, I was hoping you could tell me if it will cause a seizure or not?
    Thanks,
    Keesha Kennedy

  3. Kim Says:

    Any one who is concerned after their tongue is Pierced, Dont worry that much!
    i just got my tongue pierced a week ago, and so far so good. about an hr after gettiing it done, i tried to eat solids. DONT BOTHER.. drink water and eat Ice. later in the evening, i tried to eat Solids again, i did it, but it took an hr and 1/2. but it was good. Rinse with Original listerine, and an OTC salt rinse and Brush teeth. The swelling went on for a few days, where i wanted to just take it out and rid myself of it. I chose to take ibuprofen. It helped. ALOT. this went on for a few days, constantly rinsing, and brushing. Its now day 6. I havent changed the post in it yet, i am getting alot of pussy gross stuff.. but its normal. take a Q-tip and dip it in mouth wash and clean away the puss in a upward motion. I can eat solids, tho i take my time, making sure not to grab the post, i find i do alot of sucking while eating. It helps. Salt rinses help. i havent really had any dairy products. just in case of bacteria.. but i do smoke.. alot. so everytime i smoke, i make sure to rinse, with mouthwash and again with the salt water. i used original listerine, not watered down @ first.. but it burned.. so i did some more reading, and it said to dilute.. so i started to dilute it more.. to me it did the same thing. So i decided to buy the mint flavor listerine.. ALOT better. and doesnt burn.. maybe in 2-3 days i will change the barbell to something smaller. i just wanted to take my time with my new addition. I can pretty much talk normally now, slight lisp. no swelling.

  4. Bella Says:

    hi i’m from saint lucia(in the caribbean)and i had mine done two weeks ago it was painful but i wanted it so badly, i just hope i am able to chang the post to a shorter one soon

  5. ashleigh Says:

    i had my tongue pierced tuesday, it is now friday, the pain is horrendous in the mornings and when i eat, i tried eating solids the second day and it hurt me so much, i bit the bar twice which really hurt me, but then i ate mcdonalds fries and i was able to eat them because they were small, although it took some time. i ate ice cream which helped and was really nice and pretty much after every meal i would rinse with warm salt water, and im taking ibuprofen every 4 hours, its helping, but its still painful. my tonuge is still slightly swollen and i have a feeling it’ll get worse, and i am talking with a lisp, sometimes throughout the day i can barely talk at all, and because i talk loads its really hard. at the moment my tongue is green because i used mouthwash, i am just waiting for the salt water to cool down before i go and rinse again, i am slightly worried however, because i seem to have a small amount of blood gathered by the bar on the top of my tongue, im just not going to eat anything today!! it will be another week and a half before i can change the bar and then i hope everything is fine. :) just grin and bare it, im hoping it’ll we worth it in the long run (:

  6. Chris Says:

    i got mine done two days ago and so far its pretty annoying i love the way it looks, however not beeing able to eat is really pestering. the long barbell is not very comfy. but i can do with it. every once ina while there is some white stuff under the tounge i just rise with listerine and it dissolves.

  7. sarah Says:

    i jjust want to be able to eat cornbread and milk . so please tell me if i can have dairy

  8. haylie Says:

    i got my tongue pierced on monday (its now wednesday)its a little bit swollen but i have just woke up so i took some ibruprofen which has helped alot.ive been told to go back next monday to get my bar changed and i cant wait to be able to speak and eat a bit more normal lol.on my first day i ran to the shop straight after i got pierced and i bought an icepop and then went and got a mcflurry (so much for no dairy)sonce then i have eaten some solids but i found out i absolutly LOVE baby food so im living off that hehe:) any way ive got a train to be catching cya x

  9. Lorena Says:

    i pierced my tongue just yesterday for my 18th birthday, it didnt swell or hurt at all. I went home and ate steak since my mom went throught the trouble of making it and i ate cake afterwords too!

    i thought i could and that the only reason i shouldn’t is because my tongue is swollen, but it wasn’t.

    so now, i’m google-ing away because i haven’t been avoiding solid foods or dairy products. i’m hoping i didn’t screw myself over and will have to take it out. =[

    Don’t really know who to ask about this though.

  10. joshie Says:

    Hey guys i had my tongue pierced saturday it’s now tuesday its pretty swollen but it doesnt hurt much at all just when i eat and talk it hurts a tad it is annoying & i do find it a little hard to swallow and my teeth are a little sore and i have a slight sore throat n a cold but i did sleep with a fan and ac last nite or it could just be my allergys anywho it dont hurt much. AND omg the clamp hurts i couldnt even feel the piercing itself but yeah that clamp hurt likea b*tch anywho if you can survive the clamp you’ll deffintely survive the piercing n don’t worry it may swell even the day you get it pierced and it’ll be hard to talk a few days after but it’s normal. DONT forget to brush your teeth and rinse with mouth wash atleast twice a-day n after you eat/smoke. dont rinse to much tho you don’t wana kill that one stuff in your mouth that helps your tongue heal and clean some forgot what its called but yeah :) I CANT WAIT TILL I am abel to change the barbell my artest said in about 2weeks i can change it :) P.s i’d try to stay away from dairy products as this can cause an infection and try to avoid bread it may cause a yeast infection :) hope i helped ya’ll 0ut :) l8terz! n good luck with your piercing!!

  11. joshie Says:

    Sorry one more thing! for the love of god! DONT KISS ANYONE OR HAVE ANYTYPE OF ORAL SEX for atleast 2weeks PLZZ cause that may cause an infection. **If all your friends want to see it don’t stick it out past the inside of your teeth just open your mouth n let them view cause sticking it out can cause more bacteria in your mouth and you could get the bar stuck on your teeth which will stretch the hole a bit n will hurt like hell n swell up more :( so yeah hope dat helps~!!

  12. michaek Says:

    i got my tongue pierced yesterday and i smoked weed. my tongue is green why is that?

  13. chelsey Says:

    listerene/scope and all that stuff does NOT burn. i don’t know why people say that. i was scared when i first washed my mouth but it feels a lot better after you wash your mouth out, but make sure you dilute it 50/50 with water. don’t wash it too much or it will dry out and that will be pretty sucky.

  14. Tanesia :) Says:

    soooo; im 18 & i decided to get my tongue pierced on thursday [its sunday] my parents stilll dont know. shhh. my daddys so against me getting any “facial” piercings. but tattoos are all fine & dandy [i have 3] well anywayss; the day i got my tongue pierced i ate chinese. haha. i couldnt help it. :) but i ate fine. the piercing didnt hurt at alll. my friends are all jealous bc theirs are killing them, while i can talk, eat, drink, etc. with no problem :) it doesnt hurt in the morning. or during the day. or at anytime for that matter. lol. & im a waitress so the “no talking/limit your talking” would be a NO-GO for me, bc then i would make no money duh. :) but i loooooove love looooove my piercing. its hot. if your reading this & your thinking about getting it done..DOOOO IT. :)

  15. Carrie Says:

    I just got mine pierced on Saturday and it is now Thurs and right now i am just counting the days until I can change it to a shorter one. Luckily mine did not really swell, just have a little bit of a lisp and I am able to eat solid foods although I do it slowly and don’t bite down as hard as I have bitten the bar a couple of times. It does still feel sore as I have to talk a lot at work and with a 3-year old but I have been taking Advil and it’s helping. I wasn’t told anything about dairy, but was advised to stay away from beer for about 2 weeks as it contains yeast. But grilled cheese and fries are really yummy and easy to eat.

  16. Know the Fatal Dangers of Tongue Piercing Says:

    [...] Dental damage, bacterial infection, keloids, allergic reactions, excessive bleeding, severe pain, nerve damaging are some of the common and curable infections caused by tongue piercing. Everyone feels that it’s really cool to have a tongue piercing. However, most people don’t realize the potential life threatening dangers of tongue piercing. [...]

  17. Fake Body Piercing Jewelry Says:

    [...] Fake pierced jewelry, which is magnetic in nature, are available as nose studs, and tongue piercing. However, one needs to be very careful when wearing them on, because with the slightest push the jewelry moves of and there are chances of it going in the nose or mouth. [...]

  18. Kass Says:

    I got my tongue pierced on tuesday, it is saturday, I had no swelling, no pain, and i could talk properly as soon as i got it done. I called the place where i got it done Its Artworxx tattoo at 12 dixon road toronto ontario, and they said for me to come in on monday and since i didnt swell or have any pain they will change it so a smaller barbell. I am excited bacuse I dont like the long one, anyways i used Cepacol mouthwash, it doesnt burn even if its not diluted. It works really well. Good luck to everyone thinking about getting it done!

  19. johanny Says:

    i got my tongue done exactly 16 days ago, and i love it!! i love the fact that i could eat normally, talk normally, play wit my ring, basically my routine is back to normal so itz worth it!!! i kiss my man and i love it!!! but of course u have to be responsible about hygiene u know dont be lazy and not mouthwash!

  20. Lilybet Says:

    I got Mine done on Friday its now early Sunday morning
    I know plenty of body piercers & tattooists who have qualifications on these things!

    tips:

    buy a new toothbrush & non alcoholic mouthwash, use mouthwash after everything you eat and that should stop the spread of germs etc

    Also be prepared for the swelling to last for up to 5 days and the healing takes 2/3 weeks

    I do have a lisp but in all honesty all you have to do is think whats best for you like eating solids, it is depressing when your mates are eating mc donalds and you have to slip on water! but do not rush into eating solids!

    ^-^

  21. bri Says:

    I jus got my tongue pierced on monday,its now thursday n my tongue is a lil swollen n a lil sore n I can talk without a lisp….its VERY annoying. The thing that gets 2 me the most though is the fact that I can’t eat what I want. So im on mashed foods n apple sauce. N I jus want the soreness 2 go away already but I love my piercing I can’t help but play with it:)the actual piercing really isn’t that bad no matter how painful the thought of putting a 3 in needle thru ur tongue is.but 4 sum reason they didn’t use the clamp 4 me I was kinda lookin forward 2 it.

  22. callie Says:

    I just had my tongue pierced on Tuesday, it is now Thursday. It hurt! getting it pierced hurt. everyone said the clamp hurt more, when the lady put the clamp on and i thought hmm that doesnt hurt this will be all good, WRONG … stab in my tongue OUCH but the pain was over quick so it wasnt that bad. I will not lie it hurt. So far i haven’t eaten much just soup(day 1) mashed potato (day 2) and easy mac (day 3) swelling is pretty bad, my tongue now fits the barbell its that big :( and i have a really bad lisp hopefully the swelling will go down soon, and i will be able to eat and talk again and change the barbell

  23. Brittany Says:

    I got my lip pierced on monday and it’s friday,
    it is still swollen which is really odd because my other one didn’t ( i have snake bites)
    i take tylenol twice a day for the pain.
    It REALLY helps to use mouth wash everytime i take my tylenol and brush your teeth after you eat!
    i use antibacterial soap and a q-tip to clean the outside.
    (the soap can’t have scent.)
    other than that i love it!
    it’s the whole healing process that sucks the most.

  24. Carol-anne Says:

    Im 16 and i got my tongue pierced 2 weeks ago and around the bottom bar its swollen and white is this normal i have changed it to a smaller bar but does anyone know if this is ok?

  25. Blake Bendel Says:

    I need help!
    i got my tongue pierced about 5 weeks ago…and i played with the jewlery too much, and i now have a little split by the piercing hole…i was wondering if anyone knew if it will ever go away!? :(
    i can’t find ANYTHING on the internet about it so if anyone who would know, i would GREATLY appreciate it if you would email me and give me your thoughts!
    BB3031@k12.sd.us
    Thank you!!!
    Blake, the girl:), Bendel

  26. Gabbie Says:

    I just had mine done 5 days ago. It hurt like fuck even though they put this nasty numbing shit on it but whatever. It swelled up and it was really hard to eat and talk for the first two days but now it’s completely fine, I don’t have a lisp and I can eat hard stuff. There’s this disgusting white pus coming out of it but that is completely normal drainage as it heals, so don’t freak out, just mouthwash every two hours or so to get rid of it. Just make sure to keep your mouth super clean for a couple weeks because it would be really easy to get an infection with all of the bacteria in your mouth.

  27. charlie Says:

    hey guys,
    i had my tongue pierced on tuesday, its now thursday night, and its swollen up a little, the large barbell is quite arqward, looking forward to putting in a smaller one.
    i would like to advise you to NOT USE LISTERINE, or table salt (it contains irodine), you have to wash your mouth with sea salt to get best results.
    i would also say do avoid dairy products, cus its just not worth the risk of a yeast infection, and thats not just thru the healing prossess i would say try to just stay away for a while, i read about some girl who had it pierced for 5 years and then she got a yeast infection…its nasty! and not worth the risk.
    Try not to clean your mouth too much too, cus you need to let your body do the healing.
    oh and dont brush with toothpaste either, just use water and and electric toothbrush.
    best things i find to eat are really runny porriage, stews, cottage pie, veg cassarol, soup (but blow on it cus dont want it too hot) and lasange ect. theyre quite easy to just put down the side of your mouth and swallow, wash down with water thou.
    And make sure you keep your fluids up, so drink pleantly of water, and if you want have some multivitamins, if you have a healthy diet it helps.
    try to avoid smoking if poss, and iff your gunna drink like alchol or citrisy drinks have them thru a straw and try to keep them off your tongue!!
    make sure that you check you barbell is done up properly too, cus you really really do not want it to come undone, you could acidently swallow it, chances are slim, but please please be careful.
    hope ive helped.

  28. Courtney Says:

    I just turned 15 two days ago. I really want a tongue piercing, not only does it look totally awesome, it is also expressive. But there are a few things I just want to know before going to get it done. 1) what type of foods should I stay AWAY from?
    2) after a while will i be able to eat or talk without biting the bar?
    3) I heard on other websites, ‘you should not use mouthwash’ is that true?
    4) most importantly i want to know if i took out the bar after a few months, would the hole heal?

  29. Kayla Says:

    i just got mine two weeks ago and it didn’t hurt much, mine didn’t swell for a few days afterwards, im a slow healer… i am just getting the “pussy stuff” which is actually called “lymph” and it’s just the skin cells dying and forming new ones :D
    the only thing that hurt me was where the barbell rested on my tongue after that healed, everything is simple, and i love it. i haven’t changed mine yet, and don’t intend to for 4 weeks :D

  30. John Says:

    wow. that is alot of information. I don’t even know if I could do all that. And thank you so much for lettming me in on all the info.

  31. kane Says:

    Hey I’ve been wanting my tounge done for ages now if I numb it will it be ok cause im hell scared how long does it all take haha eeeeeek thanks

  32. Desperate Says:

    hi i got my tongue pierced on march 9th and was wondering if it’s normal to have white- yellowish pus come out from the top of the piercing.

  33. xtine Says:

    ok so i got my tongue periced on mon.. its not thurs and my tongue is still swollen and its light green i think i used too much mouth wash because my sense of taste is barely there and my tongue is burning, what the hell do i do?!

  34. jaqui Says:

    hello after many months of debating and worrying about the pain of getting tongue pierced i went and had it dont, this was 14 days ago and i would like to share my experience with fellow pre tongue piercees:)
    First of all id totally Psyched myself up and i really dont know what the fuss was all about, the piercing was not painfull at all, Just a nipping sensation, after the piercing i could talk fine and not had any problems with my speech other than if i talk too fast i get tongue tied, eating for the first 3-4 days was a little difficult (soup & rice pudding) this was due to swelling and the fact it was strange having something in my mouth, the swelling wasnt that bad as i thought it would be even tho i had my piercing quite far back in my tongue. slight aching sensation like what u get in cheeks when been smiling and laughing too much for day after and tingling at the end of my tongue in morning.
    Its all a case of getting used to it and perservering but now on day 14 i am fine can eat normal foods.
    If you are thinking of getting your tongue done i would say go for it each person is different and have different pain thresholds
    So Far So GOOD :-)

  35. jennifer Says:

    well i got my tongue pierced Saturday and its weds… i love my new piercing. i am a server and i want to change my barbell to a shorter one today . im not swelling or in pain . of course my tongues green/brown from the mouthwash. does anyone know if i can change it ?

  36. Nicki Says:

    Got mine done yesterday, no pain, little swelling. Haven’t tried to eat much…just found out about the dairy thing…oops. Oh well, so what can you eat?

  37. ladii toot Says:

    well i just got mine done they say stay away from dairy but i been drinking milk lol and ain’t nothing wrong swellen yeah and pain oh yeah but it’s too cute to get rid of now baby got swag

  38. Jaime Says:

    Hey all, I’ve had my tongue pierced 4 different times now… Had to keep taking it out for various reasons.
    First off, everybody heals differently, and everybody’s body reacts differently to piercings. When I took out my tongue piercing, the hole was closed by the next day. I have friends though, that can take our their barbell for months and still have their holes.
    There is not really any food you should avoid…but to be safe you SHOULD wait the full “healing time” to change your barbell.
    If your tongue develops an odd bump around the hole, something is wrong. If you’ve pierced it at a reputable establishment, they will probably re-pierce it for free. (Happened to me the first time I did it)
    Like stated previously, your saliva naturally keeps your mouth free from infection, so don’t over mouthwash. Atleast twice a day (Morning and night) should be good. And IF you can, a quick rinse after meals.

    And don’t be afraid to talk to the actual piercer before getting it done, they would be the most knowledgeable.

    Have fun!!

  39. InnovativeStar Says:

    I had my tongue pierced earlier. I felt a slight pinch when it was pierced but nothing to painful. At first I had NO swelling and little pain, but as the day went on I found that the pain had increased by rather a lot: hence the swelling had increased. I was told by the piercing studio to drink plenty of ice cold water and to eat a lot of ice-cream. I have recently read-up about the possible risk of a yeast infection, but I wouldn’t think that eating ice-cream will be a large problem as long as you ENSURE that your mouth is clean. Sea or Rock salt dilluted by 1 part sea salt and 10 part water remains the best mouthwash to ensure a healthy healing process. You should rinse your mouth with this solution everytime you eat, smoke or drink to reduce the risk of infection. This is VITAL.
    Hope I have helped.

  40. Nigel Says:

    Well, I got mine done on Tuesday, along with a tattoo, and now it’s Saturday night. Mine didn’t swell for like six hours after having it done, but then it began hurting. I took aspirin, started drinking more ice water, now it’s back to normal. My tongue started going yellowish yesterday but I figured it was from the Listerine I was using, and probably doing it a bit too much. So I changed to doing a glass of warm water with two spoonfulls of sea salt in it and my tongue is back to normal color except around the piercing. My diet has consisted of: Smoothies, popsicles, and vegetable soup. However, today, I was able to eat pizza and a donut. Moving my way on up.

    As for changing the jewelry, my piercer gave me a care guide and it says not to for at least a month due to the hole not being completely healed until then and not having to worry about it being tender when you slide a new bar in.

  41. DJ syNRG Says:

    I got mine done 5 days ago and it doesn’t really hurt. I have done my nipples 3 different times now and the tongue doesn’t feel anything like the nipples. I have very little swelling and close to none pain. I would say the worst part to having it done is the next day or two and you can’t eat solids very well. Although I have been eating solids, I can see why people just wait. I have been trying to gain some weight though so eating was not an option for me.

    By the way you can put in a regular size bar in after the swelling goes away from getting it pierced. I have taken my bar out for the past two days and attempted to put in a smaller bar, but it is not there yet. I am hoping that today is the day I can put in the small one.

    For people that think it will hurt….

    It doesn’t hurt as much as you think it will. Just I quick little pinch. Really bitting your tongue hurts MUCH worse than getting it pierced. You should just pick out a good time to do it and go for it. There should be no blood and shouldn’t hurt more than a couple of seconds when getting it done. If it does continually be a sharp pain and there is blood, your piercer didn’t do it right. Mine did not bleed at all.

    Hopes this helps…

  42. Krissie Says:

    I just got my tongue pierced yesterday Monday. I am pretty much fine with the pain..but i have been popping Motrin like candy….. It hardly hurt at all when the needle went in……i am still eating soft foods…i was wondering if anybody that has there tongue pierced longer would give me advice on what to eat…..

    Krissie

  43. brandy Says:

    I got my tongue pierced on saturday its tuesday the only thing is that I talk with a lisp and sometimes my tongue hurts. I talked to my piercer and she said to eat lots of ice cream and just wait for it to heal. She also told me to practice talking.

  44. Jac Says:

    I got my piercing done a while back now and the piercing is now embedded into my tongue. I will need to have this removed surgically. The ring was too small for my tongue and it was still swollen when I got it changed over to a smaller one but then it ended up getting embedded into my tongue. I would not recommend to being done unless the piercer really knows what he is doing.

  45. Jac Says:

    I got my piercing done a while back now and the piercing is now embedded into my tongue. I will need to have this removed surgically. The ring was too small for my tongue when I had it replaced with a smaller one. I advise you find a really good piercer being getting it done.

  46. salajka Says:

    Hi all,
    I am seriously thinking about tongue ringr, but I have one question that was not mentioned. I run every morning. So, will my tongue hurts while running?

    Please, tell me if you know.

  47. Alydayrit Says:

    I had my tongue pierced last Friday and it’s been 8 days. The first day I got it all I had was jamba juice because I knew that I would find it hard to chew but even then trying to suck on the straw was painful. I was avoiding on talking because it hurt like hell. All I wanted to do was go home and sleep. 2-3 days after my tongue started to swell. The thought of taking it off kept crossing my mind. Every morning I would wake up to blood around the barrel which I thought was bad but it’s normal. Unlike many others all I did after eating was brushing and listerin. I still ate dairy foods. Today I went out with the family but I was afraid to eat since I didn’t want them to find out but it actually went pretty well. I ate fried rice so it wasn’t so bad. I need to get a smaller barrel asap because I find it hard to tall with this huge one in my mouth.

  48. KAT Says:

    OK I WANT TO KNOW HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO WAIT TO GIVE MY BOYFRIEND ORAL SEX AFTER GETTING MY TONGUE PIERCED

  49. me Says:

    wen i got mine pierced it was jus mad uncomfotable at firsti still ate solid foods after 2 days not eathin solid foods pissed me off n i still smoked i used biotene mouthwash n had no problems

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