What are some things I need to know before getting my tongue pierced?

Question

I'm getting my tongue pierced December 4th, and I'm really freaking excited!
So excited that I know I'm going to forget something I need to do afterwards to help with the aftercare.

What are some things I need to know like maybe just some general information on the actual procedure, and aftercare?
How was your tongue piercing experience?
Do you regret it?

Thanks!!
-HollyMarie

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

I got my tongue pierced three and a half years ago and I still remember the experience. Getting the piercing wasn't bad at all. What the piercer had me do was clean my mouth with mouth wash first. After this I stuck my tongue out so he could mark the spot to pierce and had me hold a paper towl up by my chest so when he did the piercing it would catch any drool (yeah, sounds gross but when you have your tonuge hanging out of your mouth you can't help it). He then put the clamp on and pierced it. The piercing part isn't bad at all, you can barely feel it. Out of all the piercings I've gotten (belly button, eye brow, industrial, tonuge) it was by far the least painful. Once you get it done, they're going to give you a sheet of aftercare instructions (they should have went over this with you before the piercing). Follow those. They recommend that you keep ice on it as much as possible for the first few days. I would recommend this too because if not, it'll stay swollen for about two weeks. Don't suck on this ice! This can make the swelling worse, this is why they also tell you to avoid using straws while it's healing. Just put it on your tongue and let it melt in your mouth. Try to do it as much as possible the first couple days after the piercing, I had to go to work as a waitress so I couldn't for the first few days. After those days when I got a break from work, putting the ice on didn't help at all. It's like when you get a bump on your head, if you put ice on it right away it'll help take the swelling down but if you put ice on it two days later it won't do anything. For the first two weeks whenever you eat or drink anything other than water (and if you smoke, then when you smoke a cigarette) you have to wash your mouth out with mouthwash. Don't get listerine or a brand with alcohol in it as this can irritate the piercing. A lot of people say you can't eat normal foods because it's hard with the new piercing. I ate normal foods through out my whole healing process, it will just take longer to do so. Chew slowly and be aware of where your tongue is while you're chewing, if you don't pay attention to that you will bite down on the barbell and it will hurt. I managed to avoid this by eating slowly. Once it heals, you'll be used to eating with it in and won't have to think about it anymore. It also won't hurt if you bite it. Other then those things, after about two weeks once it's not sore anymore you'll want to change the barbell. The barbell they pierce it with it longer than a normal tongue ring because it has to have room to swell. I hope all of that helped some

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Both answers helped, but this one was a little more thorough.

Thanks!

Answer 2

I got mine done about four years ago. The person should have you clean your mouth first. Then they pat your tongue dry with a paper towel. They make a mark where it's going to be; that way you can decide if you like the spot first (or move it forward or back etc). They'll squeeze it with some clamps and have you take some deep breaths. You'll hardly feel the piercing at all. I only felt the new jewelry slide in a little bit. They gave me some tips and an aftercare pamphlet. Surprisingly, my piercing hardly swelled at all. I ate some chicken nuggets about an hour after I got it done (even though they don't recommend it). It was a little bit of a challenge because I kept chomping on the barbell. So I had to tear my food up into small pieces and use my finger to push it to the back of my mouth (after washing my hands of course). It was overall really easy to care for and get used to. Biggest tip: NO ALCOHOLIC MOUTHWASH - not even diluted. That will most definitely make it swell (even more then expected). I used a warm sea salt solution until I could buy some Crest Non-alcoholic Mouthwash. I do not regret it one bit.

Source(s):

Still have my tongue ring after all this time