About the tongue piercing again?

Question

Okay if you read my previous problem one of the girls said 'don't eat foods that will cause infection' or something like that, like what foods for instance? Sh!t my piercer didn't tell me anything and I can't call the place cause it's a long distance number and we have long distance calls blocked on our phone and my mom's gone with the car so I don't have a ride anywhere. (Yes, I am under age) ahhh panicccccc am I gunna lose my tongue!?

Answer 1

Avoid foods that require you to actually chew. Biting your tongue, especially when swollen, hurts ^_^. Biting the barbell hurts just as bad, and might damage your teeth. Things like ice chips, smoothies, ice cream, jello, yogurt, popsicles, plain cheese quesadillas, other soft foods like that will make things easier. Avoid spicy foods, as mentioned, as getting hot things down in your piercing will irritate it, and probably make your tongue swell up again. I doubt there's any foods that will actually *cause* infection (aside from raw meats like steak, pork, and chicken... but who actually puts uncooked meat in their mouth?).

Wash your mouth with a small amount of antimicrobial/antibacterial mouthwash diluted in a glass of water, or wash it with a quarter teaspoon kosher or sea salt in a glass of water, to kill off bacteria and help the healing process. Don't use Listerine or other alcohol-heavy mouthwash, as the alcohol in it will actually aggrivate the piercing and slow down the healing time. Rinse at least once a day, but no more than twice a day (more is not better, in this case). Also, wash your hands with an antibacterial soap any time you plan on putting them in or near your mouth, as the hands carry more diseases than just about any other place on your body. On a similiar note, don't kiss/share bodily fluids with anyone while it's healing... it'd be akin to someone spitting in a gaping wound... who knows what kinds of diseases lurk in their bodies, or whether your body would be able to fight them off with an open wound.

Try not to wiggle the piercing, as it may cause the hole to be irritated, and slow down the healing, or after constant wiggling, get larger or wander (NOT a good thing). On a related note, don't take the piercing out until it's time to resize your bar (about a week after the swelling is gone), or a month has passed after the resizing.

Buy a brand new toothbrush, and brush your teeth regularly, as well as your tongue and piercing. The new toothbrush will remove any likelyhood of old diseases (like last month's cold, the upset stomach you had the other day, etc) reentering your mouth, and possibly causing infection. Brushing the piercing gently will remove any plaque buildup, and help to remove any food particles that might decide your tongue would be a good home.

Avoid caffiene, as it slows down the healing process, meaning no coffee, tea, or cola, and chocolate in small amounts. Since you're a minor anyway, I shouldn't need to say this, but no smoking or alcohol either. Nicotine also slows the healing process and tobacco build-up on the tongue doesn't help either, and alcohol thins the blood, preventing much-needed oxygen and white blood cells to heal the wound and fight off diseases from amassing in healthy levels.

If your tongue is swollen, take a couple of anti-inflammitory medication pills (ibuprofen, Advil) according to the directions on the bottle, and it'll help. If your tongue is so swollen that it's hard to swallow pills, as mine was, then put it in a spoonful of your favorite jelly/preserves. Makes it a little easier that way.

Don't be alarmed if your piercing has a small amount of rather bad tasting, yellowish-clear ooze, that's just your tongue's way of healing itself, and is perfectly normal. Just rinse your mouth out, and you'll be fine. If it's any other color, thick, foamy, or absolutely foul tasting, then it's time to be concerned.

This is pretty much what my piercer told me when I got my tongue pierced two months ago. If you have any other concerns, don't hesitate to call any local piercer.

And, no, you're not going to lose your tongue. I ate some rather spicy pizza the day after I got my piercing, and it HUUUUUUURRRRTTTT!!! But the pizza was so good, I couldn't stop eating it despite the pain. So I had some ice cream and Advil afterwards and was fine. Two months later, despite some severe culinary abuse (I <3 Taco Bell), I still have my tongue, and it's healed just fine.

Answer 2

Avoid spicy foods. And I would suggest looking in the yellow pages and calling a local tattoo parlor and just asking them. Even if you didnt get it done there they will help you and tell you how to care for it.

Dont worry you'll be fine! Good luck

Answer 3

I would say try and avoid chewing; stick to soup and smoothies and that sort of thing. You should also try to rinse you mouth as often as possible; a good mouthwash (like betadine or listerine) is good, but you can use a salt and water solution as well.

Take some tylenol for the pain. Try not to talk to much.

Your tongue is not likely to fall off.

Answer 4

lots of ice and Listerine nothing hot and nothing chewy or spicy you'll be fine promise