Style July 22, 2017
Tongue piercings are cute. Infections are not.
Getting piercings can be an easy way to change up your style. But, they can also hurt your body.
Tongue piercings are especially risky. I mean, you’re piercing a hole in your taste buds. That’s a true sacrifice. But we get that they’re hip, trendy and grungy.
So, if you’re looking to get a tongue piercing sometime soon, here’s what you should know before you venture out to get one.
According to Piercology, an online resource about piercings by piercing professionals, tongue piercings are considered to be the least painful piercing. A Reddit user explained that the piercing started to hurt only after getting it:
“In a scale from one to 10 it was maybe two [in my opinion]. The hell started to take place few hours after, could only eat soup and drink ice water the next days. Talking hurt, swallowing hurt, cleaning it hurt. After four to five days I finally could start talking like a real person. Eating went smoothly as long as I [was] a little careful and didn’t bite on the piercing. Took it in April this year and it’s still my favorite piercing.”
Another Reddit user said:
“Not very painful. Only takes a minute. It is a little more painful than your ear and it will be sore for a few days, but it’s not a big deal. You may get dizzy for a couple of seconds right after it but you shouldn’t jump right up anyway.”
Ultimately, the general consensus is that the pain settles in a couple hours after the piercing, but goes away once it’s healed.
Center for Young Women’s Health, an online resource for young women – which is a partnership between the Division/Young Adult Medicine and the Division of Gynecology at Boston Children’s Hospital – said tongue piercings take four to six weeks to heal. But swelling only takes 10 to 14 days, according to Piercology.
You may be eating soup for a while.
Finding a piercing or tattoo shop that won’t give you a nasty infection can be hard. But not impossible.
The best guide to trustworthy piercing shops in the U.S. is the Association of Professional Piercers, an international health and safety organization. Members of the organization have to go through testing to meet high standards, comply with governing laws and prove they conduct safe practices.
The organization has a resource that allows you to put in your area code and it will find the closest Association of Professional Piercers approved piercing shop.
According to a study in the Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practices, a new toothbrush should be used after you get a piercing in to limit bacteria from your old toothbrush. The study also suggests using a clean finger or utensil to place food in the back of the mouth to avoid biting the jewelry. Once the piercing has healed, the piercing should, ideally, be removed and cleaned before every meal.
To reduce swelling, LIVESTRONG recommends placing small pieces of ice on your tongue every morning. Rinsing your mouth with warm water, sea salt concentrated water and brushing and flossing your teeth regularly are proper methods of taking care of your piercing.
While tongue piercings may look cool and edgy, they can also cause problems. According to Erikson Dental’s website, a cosmetic and general dentistry based in Texas, tongue piercings can fracture or chip your teeth enamel. If your tongue is constantly rubbing the same area in your mouth, you can risk mouth ulcers, which can turn into cancerous lesions. And as is the case for any piercing, getting a tongue piercing puts you at risk for an infection.
To avoid these problems, Erikson Dental recommends going to a legitimate piercing shop and treating your tongue piercing with care. They also suggest regularly seeing a dentist to ensure your tongue and teeth stay healthy.
Tongue piercings can look cute. But you know what’s not cute? Infections. So, if you’re going to get a tongue piercing, make sure to follow your piercer’s care tips.
