So you have finally got a tongue piercing! It is fun and pretty cool. But to make sure that it heals properly, there are several things that you can do.
The piercing can take a couple of weeks to heal fully. Apart from following the tongue piercing aftercare instructions specified by your piercer, you can follow these easy tips on how to take care of a tongue piercing! 🙂
Soft Foods
Avoid hot spicy foods! Since the tongue can swell soon after the piercing, hot or spicy food will worsen the condition, slowing down the healing process. This means cutting down on coffee, tea and other hot liquids as well. Instead, go for cold foods like ice cream, yogurt, etc. for a few days immediately after the piercing, as this helps in keeping the swelling under control.
It is a good idea to keep chilled water in your refrigerator. Take a few sips when you wake up to soothe the swelling as it is usually at its worst in the morning. You might even find that sucking on a bit of ice lessens the pain.
The first food that you eat after you get the piercing should preferably be soft. Take small bites and chew carefully. You must be cautious and make sure that the tongue ring or stud does not strike against your teeth and damage them.
Keeping it free from infection
Since alcohol does not aid in the healing process, DO NOT use undiluted mouthwash! The alcohol content in it will slow down the healing. The last thing you would want is mouth ulcers at this time. Instead, go in for anti bacterial and anti inflammatory lozenges to keep infections at bay and quicken the healing process.
Don’t talk too much for the first couple of weeks as the longer tongue ring can irritate your teeth. Make sure that the jewelry you are wearing is screwed on tight. Before doing this, clean your hands with a germicidal soap.
Avoid kissing and oral sex for at least two weeks after you get a tongue piercing done!
Any plaque on the jewelry must be carefully removed during the healing period. After your tongue piercing heals completely, you can remove the tongue ring and clean it.
Finally, after the swelling on the tongue subsides in around ten days, get a shorter tongue ring. Keeping a longer ring that had been inserted when the piercing was done can be a problem because it may get caught in your teeth. Remember to change the initial tongue ring inserted by the piercer!
Well, if you read all the above mentioned, I hope there are no more questions about how to take care of a tongue piercing! 😉
