Tongue Piercing Aftercare: What to Eat when Your Tongue Piercing Still Hurts

Though it is one of the fastest-healing piercings you can get, a tongue piercing is in a pretty personal place: your mouth. Left without advice, it can be difficult to know what to eat after a piercing. However, with a bit of thought and research, the food you eat after you get your tongue piercing can help it to be a more enjoyable experience.

After a piercing, your tongue will be very tender and the wound will be open and vulnerable to infection. For the first few hours, it is most comfortable to keep your diet to cold liquids and ice.

Watch the acidity or spiciness of what you eat after a tongue piercing. The piercing is an open wound and, until the wound fully heals, spicy foods and very hot foods will get into the wound and can cause excruciating pain. Your tongue will ache with the effort of moving food around your mouth for chewing.

Stock your freezer with pints of multiple ice creams, because you won't be able to properly chew for a few days. A diet of frozen, soft food such as ice cream, frozen yogurt and other frozen treats will keep the swelling down and numb the pain. You may want to stock up on a few flavors to break up the monotony of all that ice cream. I like to pick up a bunch of those little Ben and Jerry's ice creams for variety. If you want to add toppings, stay away from crunchy stuff like nuts and sprinkles. Anything that breaks up into tiny pieces or requires a lot of chewing should be avoided until your tongue is no longer sore.

When you feel that your tongue is ready for hot food, begin with soups and other soft and easy-to-chew foods. Your tongue will still become sore during chewing for a week or two, and soft foods are easier to swallow due to less time chewing.

Clean your tongue with mouthwash thoroughly after every meal, as instructed by your piercer. Left uncleaned, bits of food can become lodged in the piercing and can increase your chances of an infection. Follow your piercer's instructions to carefully clean your tongue piercing after every meal. With careful care for your piercing, your tongue will be healed and ready to handle regular food within one to two weeks. You can gradually include more solid foods as your tongue becomes less tender, but be careful not to overdo it with spicy food that can irritate your tender piercing.
Tongue Piercing Aftercare