When you think about body mods, two things come to mind instantly – tattoos and tongue piercing. While the range of piercing is impressively vast and versatile, there is rarely any other placement that can compare with tongue piercings. However, no matter the popularity and impressive requirement, many things remain unknown about the accessory. To ease your life and make the aftercare less effort-involving, you should read the guide through before you finalize your decision. Keep in mind – there are more variants than a good old middle tongue piercing to consider!

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Tongue Piercing Types

Usually, there are two main types of tongue piercing distinguished. They are described as single tongue piercing and double tongue piercing, but there are more subcategories to consider before making up your mind.

Middle tongue – a traditional type of single tongue piercings which is located in the middle of the tongue.

Multiple piercings – you can experiment with tongue piercing the way you would with other mouth piercings. So, if you feel like three piercings in a row would suffice your image, you can add them to your tongue piercing types chart easily.

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Tongue Piercing Geometry

Aside from the number of piercings, you can decide upon the position. Two leading positions are distinguished between when it comes to tongue piercing.

Vertical tongue piercing

A simple middle tongue piercing or its double variation that is placed vertically is usually referred to as vertical tongue piercing. There are no specific names to distinguish between.

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Horizontal tongue piercing

Credit photo: Instagram.com/icopiercing
  • Snake eyes tongue piercing – a peculiar variation of tongue piercing types with just the tip pierced.
  • Snake bites tongue piercing – double tongue piercing that reminds of a snake bite. Sometimes this type of horizontal tongue piercing is referred to as venom tongue piercing.

Under Tongue Piercing

If a classy tongue piercing is too simple or too visible for you, you can opt for an even more hidden variation that is named the under tongue piercing. It does not take long to guess where the piercing is located. The tongue web is pierced so that it remains hidden at all times unless you decide to show it off.

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Things to Know Before Getting a Piercing

Pain Level

If you want to get, your tongue pierced but you worry that you won’t be able to withstand the pain – breathe out! A tongue piercing is considered to be the least painful piercings to opt for. Surely, it depends upon your personal pain sensitivity, but professionals describe it as mild.

Healing Period

How long does it take a tongue piercing to heal? The better you care for the pierced area, the faster it will heal. However, on average, it takes around 6 weeks for the pierced place to properly heal. Changing the jewelry until then is unadvised.

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Tongue Piercing Aftercare Tips

When you learn how long does a tongue piercing take to heal, you may falsely assume that there is nothing you should do to speed the process up. Yet, that is not true since your tongue is the most bacteria-filled area whatsoever. So, you should use these tips to avoid the infected tongue piercing outcome.

  • Rinse your mouth after each meal.
  • Don’t touch the piercing with dirty hands.
  • Chance the toothbrush regularly.
  • Clean your piercing at least twice a day.
  • Keep away from hot drinks and spicy food.
  • Don’t play around with the jewelry.

A tongue piercing is as popular as it has been, starting with the early 2000s. Yet, the variety of fancy piercing variations grows, and you can pick the one that completes your style perfectly. Don’t forget that proper aftercare is a must!

FAQ

Can I smoke with a tongue piercing?

You should wait at least 10 days after having your tongue pierced before you start smoking. Nicotine can interfere with the proper healing process and trigger infections.

Why is my tongue white after piercing?

It is a natural process that your body undergoes after the piercing. The condition is triggered by bacterial build-up, which can be removed with a quality mouth wash.

Can I change my tongue piercing after 2 weeks?

It takes around 4 weeks for a tongue piercing to heal, so it is not advised to try and change the jewelry before.

How can I hide my tongue piercing?

All it takes is to keep your mouth shut in front of the people that you want to keep the piercing a secret from.

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