Ever experienced tongue piercing? Here is the information on the tongue piercing aftercare instructions, the swelling, kissing, food and smoking.
tongue piercing aftercare
Tongue Piercing Information
The tongue is always pierced by a professional body piercer using an implantation steel barbell of the highest quality that is found. The rest of the healing process of the tongue is up to you. Following the simple instructions might enable you to have a perfect piercing that after being healed will appear great now and for the next few years to come.
Remember one important thing that no matter how good the piercing might appear over the next 2 to about 4 months (which is usually 8 to 16 weeks) it’s not well healed and care should be carried out in the manner of handling it.
The piercing will not be seasoned until you reach at least 1 year from the date of the piercing, so damage that emanates from changing jewelry or putting on inappropriate jewelry in the piercing is still very possible within that time period.
Tongue piercings mostly take between about 10-14 days to heal after which tongue piercing aftercare follows, it is almost impossible to develop an infection as the mouth contains an enzyme known as Ptyalin and Lingual antimicrobial Peptide (LAP) that kills bacteria.
Overuse of any mouthwash destroys the enzymes, which can lead to the tongue to grow green or brown; if this occurs minimize the amount of mouthwash that you use.
What happens in the first about 10 to 14 days is that most of the swelling disappears and the tongue feels very normal but also remains slightly thicker. This thickness disappears over 1 to 2 months.
Ensure that you use B-vitamins with a Zinc supplement as these ensures healing. Piercings also tend to reflect the general health if you are tired and run down healing is a lot slower
Everyone’s tongue always swells and some people’s tongues swell a little than some other people’s tongues that will swell a lot more.
The worst thing swelling will be from a period of 2-5 days after the piercing, during this period of time the tongue will be much uncoordinated and you could find it very hard to even talk and even in application of tongue piercing aftercare.
Your salivary glands may overproduce some saliva and this may make you to constantly swallow, this may even last for up to 5 days during the salivary glands (under the chin) can also become swollen.
The taste buds that are found on the end of the tongue may also become too tender and you may experience a tingling or burning sensation.
You may also have tenderness especially where the balls on the barbell makes a depression on the palate of the mouth and on the lower inside gum of the mouth.
You may also see a white fluid being excreted by the wound, don’t be shocked, it is just few dead white blood cells that is a normal part of any healing process; all wounds heal by secretion of plasma that forms a scab, but due to the saliva in the mouth, a scab can’t be able toform.
You may have a white coating on the tongue; this is a very normal bacteria response to the piercing; that is why antibacterial mouth wash is always recommended.
After about 3-5 days of the swelling and good tongue piercing aftercare, it will start to reduce.
Between about 14 to 21 days after the piercing you may have to replace the original big long piercing bar using a shorter barbell.
Make sure that you down size your first barbell as the long bars are very hard to bite on but also bad for the teeth.
We always carry a very large range of the plastic balls as it is good to bite on a plastic ball and maybe crack the ball than bite on a metal one and crack the tooth.
Many people would wish to get their tongues pierced but they feel that they are prevented by the unwelcoming reactions they might get from the employers
Tongue Piercing Aftercare
Does tongue piercing hurt
- Once the swelling has gone down, it is crucial that you replace the original, longer jewelry using a shorter post to avoid any intra-oral damage. Consult the piercer for the downsizing policy.
- Because of this necessary jewelry changing often happens during healing period, it should be done by only a qualified piercer.
- With clean hands or paper product, be sure that you regularly check threaded ends on the jewelry for tightness
- Carry a cleaner spare ball just in case of loss or breakage.
- Contact the piercer for a non-metallic jewelry alternative if the metal jewelry should be temporarily removed such as for a medical procedure.
- Should you decide that you no longer require the piercing, simply get rid of the jewelry (or have a professional piercer to remove it and continue cleaning of the piercing until the hole closes completely. In most cases only a small mark may remain.
- In the event that an infection is found, quality jewelry or an inert alternative must be left in place to give way for drainage or the infection. Should the jewelry be gotten rid of, the surface cells can completely close up thus sealing the infection inside your piercing channel, leading to in an abscess. Until an infection is cleared up completely, the jewelry should remain intact.
Webbing
These type of piercings are also pierced through the thin membrane and may have a chance of tearing or even stretching. The best method to avoid the issues is to be very careful when eating any food and refrain completely from playing with the piercing.
They are also used to lumps on the part; this is normally due to the fact that it is a very high movement part. Please see a piercer immediately if the growth is forming on the piercing to ensure that it is nothing very serious. A piercer may be able to advice over the best way to remove the lump.
Most people may find that when they get this part of the body done, a white substance may build up on the balls or even the bar. This substance is normally plaque and can be too hard to get rid of while the piercing is still in the mouth. Gently scrubbing of the area when brushing the teeth is a perfect way to help in prevention of plaque buildup.
Tongue Piercing Aftercare Instructions
The instructions that describe the tongue piercing aftercare should be keenly followed.
- Clean the tongue piercing especially after everything other than pure water for the next about 7 days, once in the morning hours and again repeating at night check so as to ensure that the balls are very tight enough on the barbell. Be sure also to wash the hands before touching the new piercing.
- Swelling will be experienced at its peak first thing of the morning after the piercing was performed. Before bed on the piercing day, in the fridge be sure that you have a pitcher made up of cold water, a tray of ice cubes, you will want to get these items in the swelling morning. When you get up crush a few ice in a plastic bag, then take a few of the ice slivers and try to put them in the mouth and allow them to melt.
Try to avoid sucking on them, allowing them to melt on their own is the best thing. After about five to ten minutes, you should observe the swelling going down. During the day however, try also to have some cold water with some ice handy throughout the day so as to keep the swelling down and to help in the healing.
- Good oral hygiene is crucial to make the tongue piercing aftercare important and the pierced tongue to heal as faster as possible. Buy a good non-alcohol anti-bacterial mouth rinse, if you can’t get this then Original Listerine will also work fine but if you get that it’s too harsh then cut it down by half with water. You must also rinse the mouth out after everything other than water for the first few days, this is so crucial.
When brushing your teeth do not brush the tongue, as this may irritate the new piercing. The third day after the piercing has been done you may observe a yellow film on the top of the tongue, don’t get worried as this is the normal matter the tongue generates as it heals and it will disappear in a few days. You may also observe a white circle around the barbell under the tongue, this is the tongues new version of a scab and it may also disappear in about 10 days.
- Ensure that the barbell balls are much tightened every other night before bedtime and after you have brushed the teeth and washed the hands. While also holding the bottom part of the ball under the tongue in the left hand grasp the top part of the ball with the right hand and turn it clockwise to tighten it. This must be done every day to ensure the balls do not loosen off. If you do happen to swallow a ball they will not harm you as they will pass through the system in a day or so, contact the piercer to acquire another replacement one.
Tongue Piercing Aftercare Food
tongue piercing swelling image
- Slowly eat only small bites of food that should be placed directly onto the molars.
- Avoid eating of spicy, or salty, the acidic, or even hot temperature foods or beverages for some few days.
- Cold foods as well as beverages are soothing and helps to reduce the swelling.
- Foods like the mashed potatoes and oatmeal are hard to take in as they stick to the mouth and jewelry.
- For a tongue piercing, try as much to keep the tongue level in the mouth as you eat as the jewelry can get between the teeth when the tongue turns.
- For labret (cheek and lip) piercings: be cautious about opening your mouth too wide as this can result in the jewelry catching on the teeth.
- Avoid eating chunky, chewy, hot foods including curries, tough foods like the steaks and citrus based food or drinks. Including orange juice. Avoid eating of a massive amount of dairy products also. These foods can lead to irritation and the pain when taken so avoiding the things for the 1st few weeks is good. Avoid sharing of any cutlery or cups with others since it can spread the infection to others or make other bacteria to get into the fresh piercing and lead to issues.
Each body is very unique and healing periods vary so much. If you have any questions, kindly contact the piercer.
How to treat a fresh tongue piercing
This may be also be a perfect extension to the tongue piercing aftercare instructions;
Step 1
Place some small pieces of a crushed ice on the tongue as soon as you wake up on the day after you have the tongue pierced. The tongue will likely be very swollen the morning after the process. Allow the ice to at least melt on the tongue, but avoid as much as possible sucking or even chewing on the ice. Use the ice as required throughout the day, and also drink enough cold water to help reduce the pain and manage the swelling.
Step 2
Rinse the mouth for about 60 seconds using a cleaning solution every other time that you eat or drink anything other than pure water, before you go to sleep and when you wake up in the morning. If the piercer did not give you a special solution for a rinsing, then you can apply the use of saline or some alcohol-free antibacterial mouth rinse. Rinse in this way for the first few days following the tongue piercing.
Step 3
Rinse using 1/4 tsp. of some iodine-free sea salt placed in one cup of warm bottled or even distilled water for about 15 seconds once or even twice each day during the first week. This rinse will assist to speed up the healing process.
Step 4
Brush and floss the teeth regularly. Maintaining of proper oral hygiene is crucial using a fresh tongue piercing, as bacteria on the teeth and gums can be able to find their way to the tongue and lead to an infection. Avoid brushing the tongue while the piercing is healing.
Step 5
Check the balls on the ends of the barbell every other night to ensure that it does not go loose, leading to the bar to fall out of the piercing. Make sure that you brush the teeth and wash the hands thoroughly before touching any barbell.
Tongue Piercing Aftercare Smoking
Smoking can dry out the mouth and lead to a tongue piercing infection to develop. It’s good to avoid smoking at all times at the tongue piercing healing process, but if you can’t stop entirely, then consider trying an e-cigarette to at least.
Replace the irritating smoke using a water-based vapor. If you apply the use of an e-cigarette, make sure that you suck gently on during the first about 2 weeks of the healing process. Smoking too hard on a real cigarette, an e-cigarette or even a straw may dislodge blood clots that have formed in the fistula and make the tongue piercing profusely bleed.
If in any case you experience any kind of bleeding, rinse the mouth gently using a sea salt mouthwash. You should also do the same if you smoke a real cigarette or cigar at any other point during the tongue piercing healing process.
Tongue Piercing Aftercare Kissing
It may be very tempting to try to French kiss your love, or even engage in oral sex, or just share a meal or even a drink with a friend while the tongue piercing is now healing. These are very bad ideas in terms of proper tongue piercing care. Do the best to avoid any introduction of bacteria into the mouth during the first 4-6 week of the healing process.
Don’t share any cups, plates or even utensils, open-mouth to kiss anyone, use a chewing tobacco, perform any oral sex on anyone, or chew on the foreign objects like pen ends or the sunglasses. If you catch yourself also slipping up, rinse the mouth using sea salt solution or an antiseptic mouthwash for about 60 seconds afterwards.
