Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Ph.D., MSN, R.N., IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT — By Kristeen Cherney — Updated on April 19, 2018
A tongue piercing officially takes between six and eight weeks to completely heal. However, your individual healing process depends entirely on how you care for your new piercing.
Read on to find out what symptoms are typical during this time, how your aftercare may vary from week to week, when you can safely change your jewelry, and more.
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Proper aftercare techniques are crucial to the outcome of your tongue piercing. Much of this depends on where your tongue piercing is placed, as well as how many new piercings you have.
Although the bulk of your aftercare takes place within the first couple of weeks, you’ll need to stay on top of daily cleanings until the piercing has completely healed. You should still clean your piercing once it’s healed, but you’ll have more flexibility in how often you do so.
A little bit of swelling is normal — after all, your tongue now has a hole in it. Still, the amount of swelling shouldn’t keep you from drinking water or talking.
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You’ll need to be careful with the types of foods that you eat, as these can get stuck around the jewelry and make you uncomfortable. Soft, bland foods — like applesauce and yogurt — are preferred.
You can do a salt rinse to help minimize any pain and swelling. Ready-made rinses may be available for purchase from your piercer, or you can make your own at home. Use it several times per day at first to encourage the healing process.
Pain and swelling should start to subside by the end of the first week. You may find it easier to eat, but you should still stick with soft foods at this point.
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Overall pain and swelling should be done by this point. You may start eating harder, crunchier foods, but do so with care. If any discomfort develops, stick with soft foods for a bit longer.
If possible, rinse your mouth out with salt water after eating and drinking. This can help prevent food and other irritants from getting stuck around the jewelry.
By day 10, your piercing may look like it’s good to go — but appearances aren’t everything. The hole won’t be completely healed for several more weeks.
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This is considered the final stretch in your tongue piercing healing process. Continue with your salt rinses, and make sure you’re brushing and flossing.
You shouldn’t have any pain or swelling at this stage, but you might find that certain foods irritate your tongue. Any symptoms beyond this may be a sign of infection or a poor piercing job.
Once your piercer give you the OK, you can resume your normal habits. This includes eating what you want, getting intimate, and switching out your jewelry.
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You’ll still need to take precautions after the eight-week healing period, though. This ensures the health of your piercing over the long term.
While the initial piece of jewelry used for your piercing may not be your favorite, it’s important to make sure it stays put over the next eight weeks.
Removing the stud too soon can increase your risk of tears and infections. The hole may also close up if you remove the jewelry too soon.
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Once the time comes to remove the jewelry used for the piercing, it’s best to see your piercer. They can ensure a safe removal process and show you how to correctly put new jewelry in.
Once your tongue piercing has healed, you’re not completely off the hook in terms of cleaning and hygiene. You can eliminate salt rinses, but be sure to stay on top of your oral health to prevent any problems.
You’ll also want to ensure that any jewelry you select for your tongue piercing is of good quality. Look for jewelry made with steel, titanium, or 14-karat gold. Less desirable metals are more likely to cause an allergic reaction or lead to infection.
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Be sure to keep up with your regular dental checkups over the lifetime of your piercing. Tongue piercings can increase your long-term risk of cuts, tooth trauma, and gum recession. Your dentist can monitor for changes and help ensure that your piercing doesn’t cause such damages.
Although tongue piercings are quick to heal compared to other piercings, they’re extremely vulnerable to infections. Poor-quality jewelry, messing with the piercing, and improper cleaning techniques all increase your risk.
You shouldn’t remove the jewelry during this time. Doing so will trap infectious bacteria inside your tongue and may lead to further complications.
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If you decide that you want to let the piercing close up — or you just want to switch the jewelry — you should wait until the infection has completely cleared.
Any new piercing can raise lots of questions. Those done on your tongue are especially delicate. Feel free to reach out to your piercer if you have any questions concerning the results, aftercare, and healing time.
If you think you’ve developed an infection, your piercer isn’t the right source for treatment. You’ll need to call your doctor if you see signs of an infection or you’re experiencing severe discomfort.
Your Most Common Questions About Tongue Piercings Answered
Has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.A tongue piercing creates a wound in one of the most bacteria-filled parts of the body: the mouth. It is difficult to keep a tongue piercing clean, which further increases the risk of infection, especially during the healing process.
There have been few studies into how common tongue piercing infections are, but the warm, moist site of the piercing makes it a prime spot for bacteria to grow. Contact with food may further increase this risk.
People with tongue piercings developed infections. Proper care can help the wound heal, reducing the risk of infection and helping keep the piercing in place.
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Read on to learn more about the stage-by-stage healing process of a tongue piercing, as well as some associated risks and treatment options.
People’s bodies are all different, so the healing process varies from person to person. People with weak immune systems due to diabetes, cancer, HIV, and some medications may need longer to heal and can also be more vulnerable to infection.
Immediately after the piercing, the wound may feel very sore and irritated. A person might have trouble talking and adapting to the new sensation in the mouth. However, they should avoid touching the piercing or knocking the piercing with the teeth, as this can increase irritation.
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At first, it may be necessary to put food directly on the teeth in order to chew. Some people also choose to consume smoothies or other liquid foods for the first few days, until they adjust to eating with the jewelry in place.
In these early days, it is vital to rinse the mouth with a saline solution several times each day. Most piercers recommend using a quarter teaspoon of iodine-free salt mixed in 8 ounces of warm water. Do not use stronger solutions or antibiotic creams unless a doctor recommends it. Follow all instructions the piercer gives.
Also, use a new toothbrush after getting a new tongue piercing. This reduces the risk of accidentally introducing additional bacteria to the site.
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. The wound may also bleed or ooze. A small amount of bleeding is normal, but consistent bleeding may signal a problem. After a few days, the wound may also ooze a whitish or clear fluid.
When the swelling decreases, replace the jewelry with a shorter piece of jewelry. Leaving longer jewelry in place increases irritation and may damage the teeth. It is safest to have a piercer do this.
Piercings heal from the outside in, which means that the outermost tissue of the tongue heals first. This means that while the piercing may look less irritated, it is actually still healing for a month or longer.
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By this stage in the healing process, it should have become less painful and will start to feel relatively normal. However, a person may still need time to adapt to the piercing.
Tongues heal quickly, which means that the piercing may close if a person removes the jewelry, even for a short period of time.
If there are no complications, complete healing usually takes around 4–6 weeks. If there is still swelling after a month, or if the piercing becomes painful or swollen after a period of seeming fine, this may signal an infection or other problem.
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After a few months, the body treats the piercing as a scar, and the piercing is less likely to close without jewelry in it. The risk of infection also greatly decreases. However, people with poor oral hygiene, weak immune systems, and mouth injuries may still be vulnerable to infection.
Of oral health problems, including infected gums and teeth. A tongue bar, particularly a large or heavy one, may knock into the teeth. This may lead to broken teeth, infections in the gums or teeth, and similar oral health problems.
The most significant risk associated with a tongue piercing is that the wound
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