How to Treat Tongue Piercing Infections

Brand new tongue piercings are uncomfortable and sometimes down right painful. They keep you away from your favorite foods for a couple of weeks and may cause you to slobber a little when you speak. But if the side effects from your tongue piercing last longer than that first 14 days and the pain continues, you may have an infection on your hands. Here’s what to do:

Things You'll Need

• Ice
• Salt
• Water
• Hydrogen Peroxide (for medical use, not the industrial kind)

Instructions

How to Treat Tongue Piercing Infections

1. Remove the stud from your tongue. It may be causing an allergic reaction and if the material of the stud itself is causing the irritation, you cannot successfully treat the area without removing it.

2. Rinse your mouth with sea salt several times a day. If the infection is painful, you will immediately feel a relief after swishing the mixture of a half glass of warm water and a tablespoon of salt in your mouth for 15 seconds.

3. Gargle with Hydrogen Peroxide and water. Use the Peroxide for medical use, not the industrial kind. Mix about 3 or 4 drops of it with a full glass of water and swish your mouth with it several times a day.

4. Wrap a couple of cubes of ice in a towel and hold it on your tongue for a few minutes at a time to alleviate the swelling.

5. Stay away from alcohol, spicy foods and never smoke while a piercing is infected.

Tips & Warnings

• Even if your piercing isn’t giving you problems, you should rinse with sea salt after every meal, and every beverage besides water, for the first month after getting your tongue pierced to keep infection from setting up.

• Any untreated infection, anywhere on the body can cause serious damage and can even lead to major complications that can become fatal, if not properly treated. Always consult a doctor if you are concerned about a possible infection.