How to Eat With a Tongue Ring

The Association of Professional Piercers recommends using ice and elevating your head while sleeping during the healing of your tongue piercing. Rinsing your mouth with an alcohol-free mouthwash and avoiding oral sex and deep kissing also helps to heal your tongue piercing safely and successfully. Eating while your tongue piercing is healing can be difficult and painful if you are not aware how to handle meals and eat with your new jewelry.

Wash your hands. Tighten the beads on your barbell before and after eating to prevent losing or swallowing a bead. When you chew your food, the movement of your tongue and food hitting your tongue barbell can cause your beads to loosen or fall off.

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Fix meals when you have time to sit down and eat. Chew slowly to prevent chipping or cracking a tooth while chewing. Your piercer places a long barbell into your tongue piercing during healing to allow for swelling. The long barbell can move while chewing and get caught in between your teeth, causing a chip or crack from the metal of the barbell.

Prepare foods that are cool and bland. Hot, spicy or crunchy foods can cause pain while you are eating with your healing tongue ring. Small pieces of crunchy foods can become stuck in your tongue piercing channel and cause irritation, tearing or pain. Cold or frozen foods, such as ice cream, can soothe your fresh tongue piercing 1.

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Eat with disposable forks and spoons when possible. Metal silverware may harbor bacteria even if washed. Do not share utensils with friends or family to avoid bacterial infections. Place the fork or spoon in the side of your mouth while eating. Placing the utensil in the center of your mouth may cause pain or discomfort if the utensil hits your barbell.

Tips

Avoid straws while eating and drinking for the suction may irritate your tongue piercing.

Clean your tongue piercing after eating with an alcohol-free mouthwash.

Warnings

Follow the aftercare guidelines for your tongue piercing that your professional piercer gives you; do not follow advice from friends and family.