Oral piercings are popular among young people. However, they can be very painful, as your tongue contains several nerve endings that may cause intense pain. In addition, your tongue allows you to enjoy the taste of food and drinks that you consume throughout the day. Therefore, a tongue piercing can lead to excessive irritation and discomfort before it heals completely.

Tongue piercings come in two main types: side tongue piercing and midline tongue piercing. The midline tongue piercing is known as the most famous tongue piercing. It sits in the center of your tongue, whereas the side tongue piercing sits on the left or the right side of your tongue.

How Much Does the Tongue Piercing Hurt?

You may find it intimidating to get a tongue piercing; however, it causes less pain than the rest of the oral piercings. Getting a tongue piercing usually feels like a pinch. Make sure that you consider a well-qualified piercer to pierce your tongue.

Once your tongue is pierced, you may experience mild pain for a few days. You may find it difficult to heal your tongue for a day or two as it will require you to stop consuming food for some time. It can also lead to swelling with the healing pain on the piercing site. However, tongue piercings tend to heal fast; hence, you can start eating your favorite meals after healing.

Tongue Piercing Healing Process

Your tongue piercing may require about four to six weeks to heal. However, you can expedite the healing process by taking good care of your tongue. Moreover, you can’t take off your tongue piercing jewelry for a few weeks as the hole will likely close up without any jewelry on it.

Tongues are prone to accumulate bacteria after eating and drinking multiple times a day. Therefore, you need to rinse your mouth at least thrice a day to keep the bacteria at bay.

Here is a list of ways to avoid bacterial build-up around your tongue piercing.

  • Dilute 1/4th teaspoon of non-iodized salt in one cup of water and rinse your mouth for a few minutes after every meal.
  • To avoid sores and irritation on your tongue, eat soft foods during the first two weeks of healing.
  • Avoid smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol until your tongue piercing has healed.
  • Avoid French kiss or oral sex for the four to six weeks of healing.

Once your tongue piercing has healed, you can choose a variety of jewelry for your new piercing. You can count on Body Jewelry to buy high-quality jewelry for your piercings. Visit their online store to select trendy jewelry for your tongue piercings.