A lot of people think the idea of having a tongue piercing is cool. Then you have to get over the realization that you are going to let someone push a very sharp needle right through your tongue. That part goes really quickly if you decide to do it. Then you get to go home with a very big tongue and figure out how to go back to regular life. Here are a few tips that might make things easier or head off a few awkward situations.

Aftercare

Chances are you are armed with some Gly-Oxide and some flavor of antiseptic gargle and not much more. Well, really that’s all you need. The trick as with all piercings is to heal a deep tissue wound. Actually, tongues are fairly straight forward once the swelling goes down.

Brushing your teeth at first might be painful as opening the jaw can stretch the swollen tissues. Go slowly. Be diligent in following your care routine as infected tongues are most unpleasant. One note, infected tongues smell badly so that, along with swelling or tenderness that increase, are the signs that might indicate a problem. Remember piercing is quite bruising and it may seem to get worse for the first two to three days. You will also be increasingly hungry and eating can be a bit uncomfortable on its own.

Eating Post-Piercing

What to eat after getting your tongue pierced is an art unto itself. Sucking ice will help with the swelling, but runs very short on flavor and nutrition. You will not want to chew much as your swollen tongue will be very prone to you biting it accidentally (remember it’s suddenly bigger than usual) as well as trying to avoid pressure on the new piercing itself. Clear broth and soups are good starters, and a few folks swear by baby food. Avoid very hot food, whether it is in temperature or spiciness. The jewelry will conduct both hot and cold sensation into the tongue and you can burn yourself if the jewelry gets too hot. Until the piercing heals, very spicy food will also burn the inner tongue tissue.

Once the swelling goes down, and if you switch to a shorter barbell, you will find you should have little to no effect on eating now that your tongue is pierced. Random stories circulate of various one-off mishaps and many of these can be avoided with a bit of thought. There have been reports of people hooking fork tines onto the ball at the ends of their piercing while eating. Eating more slowly and being mindful of “fork depth” into the mouth will lessen the chances of this. There have also been a few reports of individuals who had a food item snap on the barbell end just as they were swallowing, with minor choking the result. The biggest culprit for this is pizza cheese, as it is very stretchy. Again, a bit of mindfulness can make this a very rare occurrence with thorough chewing of smaller bites being an easy fix.

To learn more about piercing, you might like Body Piercing: A Medical Dictionary, Bibliography, And Annotated Research Guide To Internet References by Icon Health Publications.

For body piercing aftercare, you might like Tattoo Goo Deluxe Tattoo & Piercing Care Kit or X-Pression & Blue Wave Piercing Aftercare Kit