F.A.Q - Tongue Piercing
Q: Is my tongue suitable?
A: I can’t tell you that, even if you send a picture! You need to let a professional piercer take a look. In general most people have no problems having a tongue piercing, if you are ‘tongue tied’ where the Frenum (the little piece of skin that connects betwixt tongue and floor of you mouth) limits movement of the tongue, you might need some minor surgery to correct this before getting a tongue piercing.
Q: Does it hurt?
A: No.
Q: What can I eat?
A: Stick to soft food and small mouthfuls at a time for the first week or so.
Q: Does tongue piercing affect speech?
A: For the first week you should try to minimise any speaking, once healed the tongue piercing should not affect your speech.
Q: What about aftercare?
A: You should be issued with a written aftercare guide at the studio, but in general, little aftercare is needed, use an alcohol free mouthwash several times a day and avoid kissing (open mouth and oral sex!) for at least two weeks.
Q: Why do I need to go back to the studio after two weeks?
A: When your tongue is pierced, it will swell, to allow for this studios will initially fit a larger than necessary barbell typically about 22mm. The tongue will gradually shrink back to its normal size and the barbell can be changed for one more suitable, anything from 14-20mm as a rough guide. You should remember that it’s always better to have a little excess than the barbell being too tight!
Q: I don’t like the sound of this swelling how bad is it?
A: Again this varies from person to person, but you can minimise swelling but not talking and eating sensibly.
Q: Is it possible for the barbell to come out accidentally?
A: Yes, but you can minimise any chance of this by fitting the barbell so that the bottom ball is the one which screws on (fit from the top) so if it does unscrew you are less likely to swallow the ball.
Q: Is it possible that I could break a tooth with the tongue piercing?
A: There is a small possibility of this happening, once you are used to the piercing you tend to be a little careful when eating, also correct sizing of the jewellery will reduce any chance of breakage. If you are concerned about this, or you have very fragile teeth you could fit a PTFE barbell. (PTFE is a soft plastic which is suitable for implantation).
Q: My employers look down on body piercing can I hide this piercing?
A: The tongue piercing is very discrete, but you can minimise visual impact by fitting a purple barbell and not going around with your mouth open:).