Thinking about a tongue piercing, but scared it'll hurt like crazy, that you won't be able to eat, or that it'll damage your teeth? Those are the questions we hear most. The honest answer: with the right placement, the right jewellery and good aftercare, a tongue piercing is a lot less scary than it sounds. Here's everything you need to know.
They're associated with 90's rock and club-culture and often considered one of the 'sexier' piercings: tongue piercings are like any other piercing, the only difference is that they are placed in your mouth.
Whether you’re speaking, swallowing or chewing, you’re always using your tongue. It is used continuously so you want it to be as comfortable as possible.
Different types of tongue piercings
No idea which tongue piercing you actually want? No problem. There are different tongue piercings you can have, both in terms of where the piercing is located and what kind of jewelry is used.
If you go to your piercer asking for a tongue piercing, he’ll probably ask you to be more specific as that's not enough information to go on. You’ll need to be more specific about what kind of tongue piercing you want, and there are lots to choose from.
You’ll want to know which is which and if you’re confused you can always ask your piercer to show you pictures of each type.
Midline Tongue Piercing
This is a popular piercing in which one piercing is put right in the midline of the tongue. It is just like the side tongue piercing, except it’s in the center of the tongue, not off to one side.
Side Tongue Piercing
This is when your piercing is placed toward the middle of your tongue, but it’s not in the center. As the name tells you, it’s off to one side or the other. Whether you want it on the left or right side is up to you.
If you tend to chew your food mostly on one side of your mouth, you may want to have this piercing placed on the opposite side. It might make eating easier for you.
Snake Eyes Piercing
This piercing scores points for its cool name. Still, that name isn’t only used to describe this piercing because it sounds cool, it also perfectly sums up how this piercing looks.
The snake eyes piercing really does look like snake eyes when you show your tongue to people. Though it looks like two separate piercings where the snake eyes are located on the tip of your tongue, those two studs are actually linked together by a horizontal bar that runs inside your tongue.
While it may appear to be two pieces of jewelry, it’s really just one.
The downside to this particular piercing is that it can be very damaging to the enamel of your teeth, so don't be surprised when your piercer refuses to perform this piercing.
Horizontal Or Vertical Tongue Piercing
These piercings go in the middle of your tongue. They can go either vertical or horizontal, depending upon your preference. Like the snake eyes piercing, this one uses a barbell that goes inside your tongue and links the two studs together. The only difference is that the snake eyes piercing is at the front of your tongue and this one is in the middle part.
Some piercers don’t perform this tongue piercing because it does carry a fair amount of risk. As there are nerves that run throughout your tongue, you take the chance of damaging them if you get this piercing.
Damaging the nerves in your tongue or hitting a big blood vessel is a complication of tongue piercings that you want to avoid at all costs.
Getting your tongue pierced
Worried your tongue isn't suitable? That's exactly what the check beforehand is for. Before any piercer starts making holes in your tongue, they’re going to want to check it out first. In the case of tongue web piercings, they’ll look at your frenulum’s structure and make sure everything looks sturdy enough to proceed. If they decide you shouldn’t go ahead with it, ask them to explain why.
It can be a bummer to not be able to get the piercing you want, but there are plenty of other kinds of piercings you can get instead.
Scared of infection? We work with sterile single-use tools, and our piercers have been doing this since 1998. Nervous and want everything explained properly? Our team speaks about six languages.
When is it safe to change the jewelry?
Can't wait to swap in something prettier? Totally get it, but hold on a little. While the initial piece of jewelry used for your piercing may not be the one you want, it’s important to make sure it stays put over the next eight weeks.
Removing or replacing the jewelry too soon can increase your risk of tears and infections. The hole may also close up if you remove the jewelry too soon.
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 remove your jewelry.
Piercings are usually done with a 16 -18mm by 1.6mm straight barbell. They should be made from either titanium or surgical steel, so you need to ensure you’re not allergic to either metal. You can choose any color, but ensure you are not pierced with a short bar or a ring. You can get a shorter bar once the swelling has reduced.
At our studio we pierce with titanium, because for a fresh piercing titanium is best. Your first bar is longer on purpose, and it's swapped for a shorter one later. Just pop back into the studio for that, and we'll check how your piercing is doing at the same time. Once it's healed, pick your next piece in the studio or browse our tongue piercings online (our webshop ships to the Netherlands and Belgium only).
What happens after I got my piercing? Will I be able to eat at all?
Scared you'll be living on air for weeks? You won't, but be careful at first. You’ll want to watch what you eat and drink in the first week or two because of the pain or discomfort you’ll have.
Avoid hot drinks, alcohol (including alcoholic mouthwash) and paracetamol or aspirin which can increase swelling by thinning the blood. You’ll also have to be careful to prevent bacteria getting into the mouth which means no smoking, kissing, putting your hands in your mouth OR engage in oral sex. You should avoid this for as long as possible, many piercers will advise against oral sex for at least 4-6 weeks.
Aftercare
Afraid aftercare will be complicated? It's really not. For a tongue piercing, we recommend rinsing your mouth with water at least a couple of times a day.
Rinsing once in the morning and once in the evening will be enough to keep your mouth clean and to help encourage healing.
Once your tongue piercing has healed, you’re not completely off the hook in terms of cleaning and hygiene. Daily aftercare will no longer be necessary, but be sure to stay on top of your oral health to prevent any problems.
Want to read it all again at home? See our aftercare instructions.
Possible complications
Worried something will go wrong? Knowing the risks is the best way to avoid them. Most tongue piercing infections happen in the first month after you’ve had your piercing done, so it’s crucial in that first month to keep as much bacteria out of your mouth as you can.
That means keeping your fingers out of your mouth. If you are a constant nail-biter, this would be a good time to stop. That will cut down on some bacteria that can hide under your nails.
In addition to rinsing, you should also make sure to drink water frequently throughout the day. This can help keep your piercing and the area surrounding it clean.
The signs of a tongue infection are pretty easy to spot, even if you don’t frequently look at the piercing. An infection can be signaled by a few different symptoms, including redness around the piercing area, swelling, discoloration, weird-looking discharge, and pain.
Here are some of the reasons you might want to reconsider a tongue piercing. There’s no guarantee all of these, or even any of these, worst-case scenarios will happen to you.
Receding Gums
There isn’t a lot of extra space in your mouth. Everything that’s in there serves a purpose and it is engineered to all work together. When you put a piercing in there, it throws things off. Your jewelry starts to rub and scrape at everything that’s already in there.
When your piercing constantly rubs up against your gums, your teeth and gums may become extra sensitive.
That’s because gums help anchor and protect your teeth and piercings can cause them to recede.
Using smaller jewelry can help you lessen the chances of experiencing this complication.
Broken Teeth
That cool-looking jewelry can be hard on your teeth. As it strikes your teeth during eating and talking, it can chip or crack your teeth.
If you use bigger jewelry, you have a bigger risk. To minimize your chances of ending up with broken teeth, opt for small-size jewelry. That's one more reason to come back for your shorter bar.
Infection
This side effect of piercings can happen with any location of piercing you have, whether it’s your navel, ear or tongue. If you end up with an infection in your earlobe, it will prove to be a minor inconvenience, but it’s usually one that can be easily treated. You might be able to take care of it at home without even visiting a doctor’s office.
If your tongue gets infected though, you should skip the idea of attempting home care. You’ll need to visit a doctor to make sure it’s treated. Your tongue contains big blood vessels that may quickly spread the infection throughout your body. Obviously, a wide-spread infection can be bad news for your overall health.
Bleeding
Those large blood vessels in your tongue could mean you might lose a fair amount of blood if your piercer nicks one of those, and if someone pierces right through that blood vessel, you might even need surgery to close that wound up.
To better protect yourself against blood loss, you should only let a qualified piercer handle your tongue piercing.
Swallowing Your Jewelry
This complication can be really bad and it’s one that is often most feared.
If your jewelry accidentally becomes dislodged and you swallow it. While there’s a chance it will go through your digestive system without causing problems, it can also get stuck or cause internal bleeding. That can mean major medical problems for you.
As many of the jewelry pieces have screw on ends, you should be able to feel when they’re getting loose. That will help you avoid swallowing them.
Going for gold later on? Our gold pieces have a titanium internal thread, because a gold thread wears out quickly. That gives a secure closure.
How long do tongue piercings take to heal?
Hate waiting? Good news here. You won’t have to wait very long before you can swap out your tongue piercing jewelry. That’s because tongue piercings heal pretty quickly compared to other piercings. It will only take one to two months for your tongue piercing to fully heal, depending on which one you have done.
A tongue web piercing is one of the fastest to heal. Having your tongue pierced in a thicker location will result in a longer healing time.
Please note: all times mentioned are an indication. Healing is very personal: for some people it goes faster, for others it takes a little longer.
No matter which location you have it pierced in, you shouldn’t swap out your jewelry until it’s healed. You don’t want to risk having the hole close up after you’ve already endured the pain of the piercing and the aftermath. Practice a little more patience and you’ll be happy with the end result.
To conclude, tongue piercings may seem a little scary to some but with proper aftercare and a little patience you'll be ready to sport a new stud and naughty smile in no time!
Your tongue piercing without the worries
- No time to plan ahead? We're open every day of the year, 10:30–22:00. Walk in without an appointment.
- Prefer a fixed time? If you want to get a new piercing, it is now possible to schedule your appointment with us! Get pierced when it suits you! You can pay right away, so you don't have to think about it during your appointment.
- Worried about infection? We work with sterile single-use tools.
- Want to ask in your own language? Our team speaks about six languages.
- Want experience? We've been piercing since 1998, at Reguliersbreestraat 46 in Amsterdam.
- Between 12 and 16? Then you come with a parent. From 16 you can come on your own. See our minimum age page.
Sorted in one go: your tongue piercing with a titanium bar, clear aftercare instructions, and a quick visit later for your shorter bar.
Curious about the history of piercings? Visit our free online Piercing Museum.
From Ira, with love
Ira Lutvica is co-owner of Piercings Works, which she runs together with her husband Mensur Lutvica: since 1998, and since 2004 at the same spot on Reguliersbreestraat 46. Ira writes the books herself and runs the piercing course (in Dutch), where she has trained 100+ piercers. Want to know more about this topic? Read her e-book Tongue Piercing: The Complete Ebook. Also available on Amazon Kindle: Tongue Piercing. Also read Piercings Works in the media.
Walk in without an appointment and leave with a tongue piercing you'll love showing off.