Tongue

Specific to the tongue

• Cold water and ice chips reduce swelling in the first days. Take small bites and stick to soft, lukewarm food.
• Rinse with alcohol-free mouthwash or saline after every meal. Four or five times a day is enough. More irritates the tissue.
• No smoking, alcohol, spicy or very hot food while it heals.
• Do not click the jewelry against your teeth or play with it. Enamel and gums suffer.
• Once the swelling is down (about two weeks) the long bar must be swapped for a shorter one. A long bar damages teeth.
• Avoid kissing and oral contact until it has healed.

Piercing aftercare

• Keep the area away from water for the first 2 days. For the 10 days after that, put a thick layer of vaseline on the entry and exit points before every contact with water.
• After the water, wipe the vaseline away gently with a clean cotton bud, then spray salt water, sea-water spray, sterile saline or a piercing aftercare solution on the entry and exit points.
• From the day it is done, for 10 days, at least 5 times a day, spray saline or piercing solution on the entry and exit points (3 or 4 sprays).
• Home-made saline: add a level teaspoon of salt to a cup of boiled water, boil it, let it cool and pour it into a clean spray bottle.
• Never touch the piercing without disinfecting your hands first. Keep it from knocks, rubbing and being slept on.
• A new piercing should not be moved or taken out for the first 2 months. Do not leave the channel empty for at least 1.5 years; cartilage and mucous tissue close very fast.
• For oral piercings, rinse with an antiseptic mouthwash 3 times a day for a week; with a tongue piercing, eat cold and liquid food for the first week.
• For a fresh piercing, wear titanium or 316L surgical steel of the right standard.

When to see a doctor

If you see spreading redness, increasing heat, throbbing pain, a yellow-green or foul discharge, or you develop a fever, do not remove the jewelry. See a doctor. Taking it out closes the channel and traps the infection inside. If this happens, first send us a photo and tell us what is going on. For more serious cases, please see a doctor as we direct you.

If something does not look right, send us a photo and we will take a look. WhatsApp