Tongue Piercing Questions!!!?

Question

Does it hurt (for real), how do they clamp it, cost, how to clean it, how often to clean it, what types of foods to eat, how to change it, what risks are involved, will it chip your teeth, etc. I want to get one, but I want to make sure I'm doing everything associated with it exactly right, so that it does not become infected. I think they look beautiful, I just want to make sure I have everything there is to know about them down perfectly before I actually do it. Thank you!!!!

Answer 1

It doesn't really "hurt" it's more so annoying lol. I will try to explain it as well as i can. It's not so much pain, but more of a poking. You can feel the needle go through the tounge, but it's not painful. It's more of a pressure feeling. Once you are finished your tounge will swell of course. I lived on slurpies for days lol I couldnt really eat anything solid and i couldn't pronounce a few words right. Being that i had a job at the time where i had to talk to people on the phone, it was a little rough. Just take that into consideration.

Your piercer should be the one to explain things to you after you get the piercing done. I tell you, i had a lip ring and it chipped my tooth a bit, when i line my teeth up on top of each other, you can almost see a hole in the very middle of my 2 front teeth and my bottom front teeth. IT almost looks like a "t" but my tounge ring i havent chipped any teeth on so far.

I also think that is b/c of the steel ball. I have switched my ball to one of those purple plastic looking balls, and i find that the steel ball would clink against my teeth and hurt , but i have no problem with the one i have in now. :)

Answer 2

Depends on the piercer.. the crappy piercer I went for my tongue, the clamp hurt like hell. He clamped the clamp so hard it started bruising before he did the piercing. But I didn't feel the needle after the pain of the clamps.
The good piercer? Didn't feel a thing. They barely clamped the clamp, and only felt it when they stretched it right away from 8-6ga (per my request).

You clean it by using mouthwash without alcohol like biotine (if you can't find any of that dillute listerine in water) after you eat, smoke..etc. The reason you would want an alcohol-less kind is because the alcohol is very harsh on a new piercing. Also when you wake up/before you go to bed. If your tongue turns white that means you are overcleaning it.

What types of foods to eat -- whatever you want. The first time I got pierced I was told no to eat dairy products for two weeks. But I found that nearly impossible and said screw that, never had any problems with my 3 tongue piercings. Just really eat whatever you want, some foods may be more difficult then others. Maybe popsicles, so the swelling goes down quicker.

If you find yours swells a lot sucking on ice, and taking 4 ibuprophen every 4 or so hours helps a ton!

Risks.. Yes, you could chip a tooth. That's why its important to wear jewelry that is the correct length for YOUR anatomy, after the initial pierce/swelling goes down. Another risk is gum recession, but if the piercer does it correctly that shouldn't be a huge problem, I only had a problem with that because after I got my 6 gauge piercing -from a good piercer- (behind a 14 gauge one -from a crappy piercer-) the balls on the 6ga barbell made the 14ga rest right on my gums. Had to retire the 14ga one.

You shouldn't have to worry too much about infection, tongue piercings are extremely fast healers and as long as you take care of it and practice normal oral care you should be fine.

Good luck :)

Answer 3

I'm not going to lie to you and say it doesn't hurt, because it does. Like someone mentioned before, the clamp looks a little like a pair of tongs. The clamp itself hurts a bit, but it's tolerable. They'll mark a dot on both sides of your tongue with ink so they know where and how to line the needle up. When it's time, they pull on your tongue so it's stretched out and they have room to do their work (that hurts a little more). Then as quickly as they can, they'll push the needle through, fit the tongue ring to the end of the needle and pull it back through. This is a split second of probably the most intense pain you've ever felt, but it only lasts for a second. When I had mine done, I felt like I had blood pouring from my mouth, but what actually happened was the pain was such a shock to the nervous system that I became a drool factory for a few minutes.

I don't recall needing to avoid any foods, but I do remember for a couple weeks I ate extremely slowly. The first time I ate I actually chomped on my tongue ring. That really hurts when you first get it done! I'm lucky I didn't chip or break a tooth when I did that. I can tell you Listerine will become your friend. That's how you clean it. You swish Listerine in your mouth for 20-30 seconds after every time you brush your teeth or eat something. In fact, you want to do that after every single thing you put in your mouth that's not water. After it's fully healed, you'll want to actually take the tongue ring out and brush it from time to remove any plaque build-up.

Technically, you shouldn't change your tongue ring until it's fully healed in a year. I would talk to the piercer to see if you can change it sooner. How you do it is this. The stud they use has two balls on it that screw off. You unscrew one of the balls, pull out the stud and put in a new one in the same way. You may need to use a mirror at first until you know exactly where the hole is.

I hope I answered most of your questions. You can talk to a local piercer with any more questions before you actually get it done. And you should receive written instructions after you get it done that tell you exactly how to care for it.

Answer 4

I have had mine done twice...the first time I had it done I found out shortly after that I was pregnant and it didnt heal. It does not hurt at all. They tell you to stick your tongue out as far as you can and they dry it off, they mark with a pen or look to see where they can pierce it at. The clamp is small, they line the hole that is in the clamp with where they are going to stick the needle. Then they pierce you...they leave the needle in until they are able to push the tongue ring through...as the ring slides in the needle slides out. then they put the balls on the end. The ring they use will be longer then normal to allow for your tongue to swell. After the swelling goes down change the bar to a smaller one. You will have to swish your mouth out with Listerine after you eat. To help with the swelling I recommend ice water and popsicles. At first you should eat soup and soft foods...it will take a little while to get used to having the ring in your mouth. To keep from chipping your teeth use plastic balls not metal. The place I went it cost $30. To change it is no different then you would change an earring, just unscrew the ball take the ring out and put a new one in or just change the color of the balls. :) Good luck and I hope you enjoy your piercing!

Answer 5

There is a little pain involved, but nothing horrible. They use surgical forceps to clamp it. Usually costs about $25 + the ring. Clean it as often as you can. Rinse with Listerine or find another antibiotic mouth rinse. Rinse every time you eat, and after every cigarette if you smoke. Eating takes a little getting used to. For the first few days you may want to stick to soft foods, jello, mashed potato, etc. Eating ice will help with the swelling. DO NOT drink from straws for the first few days. Changing it is easy, but I wouldn't recommend you do it until you've had it at least 6 weeks.
Risks, there is a change of hitting nerves. Find a profession piercer. I had mine for 5 years and never chipped a tooth, but I have heard of it happening.
Talk to the piercer when you have it done. He / she should be happy to answer any questions you have, and will go over proper cleaning and care with you.

Answer 6

The person that pierces your tongue will give you instructions on how to keep it clean. My hubby got his done a while ago and his tongue was swelled up for a few days and couldn't talk normal during that time.

It will hurt ovbviously, but it is over with right away. You are going to be eating lots of mashed potatoes, pudding, soups, etc. They have you rinse your mouth out with Listerine like 5 times a day until it is healed (your tonge will turn green from this).

If it is something that you really want, go ahead and get it. Talk to the piercer in advance about your concerns so you know what you are getting into.

The chipped teeth, you have to be careful with it all the time. My husband hasn't chipped any, but a buddy of ours was alway clicking that thing on his teeth and kept chipping his teeth until he finally took it out.

Answer 7

I resent that comment that inly immature people get them! I am far from, I work full time at a great company in aviation, I go to school full time and am the farthest thing from immature! I got mine done a year ago (I am 23). It cost me $80 + $20 tip. I fainted because I am terrified of needles and I watched the needle go in! Anyway, he didn't use clamps-a good piercer doesn't need to and it was the most painless experience ever, I did stay conciouss to the end it was when I stood up that I fell back down. LOL! I have 11 piercings and the most painful was the top of my ear (cartiledge) the toungue was the most painless, then my nose, then my "below the belt", then my navel, then my ears being the most painful. hope that helps!! P.S. Get plastic balls on either end till you get used to it to avoid chiped teeth (my dentist told me that one) and you can't realy chew for about week cause your tongue does swell but it is not painful. Just wierd. As long as you have good oral hygene it will not get infected, your piercer will tell you the exact steps to take to guarantee a great piercing once the healing process is done. Salt water is best to gargle with.

Answer 8

If you go to a good place all the tools are sterilized and have a sterilizer. The clamp is like tongs in which they clamp your tongue. The clamp is the only thing that hurts--to me it kinda numbs the tongue. The actual piercing doesn't hurt at all. U better rinse your mouth with salt water daily as to not get an infection. Follow the directions from the piercer.

Answer 9

Okay....Here's my experience...Yes...it sorta hurts, but no more than biting your tounge really hard....It's not the worst pain you'll ever be in.

I used scope to keep my mouth clean. My teeth aren't chipped and I work at a hospital and speak just fine. No one knows the difference unless I stick my tounge out and make it public knowledge.

The use a clamp (sorta like tongs) to hold your tounge so you don't jerk it back in....Some piercing places also have numbing gel they can put on your tounge to numb the bottom and the top so you don't really feel much. When I got mine done, they didn't even use the clamps, they just held on to my tounge.

Hope this helps!

Answer 10

I've never had it done (personally I think they look awful) but I can't imagine it not hurting....you are getting something stuck through your tongue so there has to be some pain involved. Do your research and just make sure you go to a reputable place that knows what they are doing. They will give you an information sheet on how to avoid infection afterwards.