Tongue piercing healing involves swelling, pain, and irritation. Eating and drinking should be done with care to avoid infection or stretching the hole. Risks include tooth problems, nerve damage, and choking hazards. The piercing heals quickly, but leaving jewelry out can cause reattachment.
The tongue piercing healing process involves initial swelling, irritation of the tongue, and pain. After the piercing, the tongue begins to swell and commonly reaches twice its original size. The swelling should subside within a couple of days, but eating, drinking, and talking are usually painful during this time. For several months after getting the piercing, the person may experience irritation and pain in the tongue. An advantage of getting such a piercing is that tongue piercings heal quickly for many people, but this can also be a disadvantage if a person sometimes forgets that they are wearing the piercing.
Severe swelling of the tongue is part of the tongue piercing healing process, but it can be alarming, uncomfortable, and frustrating when trying to do everyday things like talking and eating. Many people find it difficult to talk, with some people choosing to talk very little or not at all during the first couple of days. Taking an anti-inflammatory drug or a cold drink can sometimes greatly reduce swelling. In rare cases, especially if the tongue piercing has been botched in any way, the tongue can swell enough to cause difficulty breathing and the person should get medical help right away.
Eating and drinking should be done with care to reduce the chances of stretching the hole or getting an infection, both of which can prolong the tongue piercing’s healing process. It is generally recommended that the person with the piercing wash their mouth after every meal and drink other than water. For example, if the person being pierced drinks a soda, he or she should rinse their mouth out with salt water or any other cleaning solution recommended by the piercer.
It takes about six months for the tongue piercing healing process to fully complete, but most people stop feeling irritation or pain by half that time. The tongue heals relatively quickly, so leaving tongue jewelry out of the piercing is usually not recommended. For some people, a fully healed tongue reattachment can close within hours to several days. Other people report being able to leave their tongue jewelry out for years without experiencing even partial closure.
In addition to getting an infected tongue piercing or having difficulty breathing, there are rare, but significant, risks when getting a tongue piercing. The person with the piercing may experience tooth problems if the piercing is placed too close to the edge of the tongue. Nerve damage is also a possibility if the piercing is done by an inexperienced or negligent piercer. Tongue jewelry can also come off in the mouth and pose a choking hazard.
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