Tongue piercings are becoming more and more popular, especially in Western cultures. Although there are a variety of tongue rings and tongue piercings available, the traditional straight barbell piercing continues to be the most popular.

Pre-pierced teens and adults often wonder if this style of tongue ring will be visible when they talk, if it will cause a lot of swelling and if they will experience any trouble while eating after this piercing is done. To answer these questions, many search online and to make it more convenient, I have compiled the general responses into this article.

People also often wonder if the tongue piercing process will be especially painful; and very common question is “How much will it hurt to get my tongue pierced?” This is difficult to answer because some people report it didn’t even hurt as badly as an earring, and others say that it’s the most excruciating piercing there is. Every person has a different pain threshold so just consider this: if it was completely unbearable, there wouldn’t be some many people with tongue piercings.

How badly will my tongue swell? Will people see my tongue ring when I talk?

Immediately after the piercing, you will likely experience a lot of swelling and this is the most difficult time to hide your tongue ring. You will still be able to talk, but due to the swelling, your voice may sound different and some words will be harder to pronounce. Test this out by eating or sucking on ice for a long time until your tongue feels numb, then try to talk. Although it’s only a vague comparison, this trick could give you an idea.

To pierce your tongue, the piercer will generally use a titanium or stainless steel tongue ring. Unfortunately, these are not clear or tongue colored, which makes them more difficult to hide. After it heals, however, you can change your tongue ring to one that is less noticeable. Tongue rings come in varying lengths too. Wearers report that a shorter barbell is easier to hide, but also keep in mind that dentists say that this kind will cause more enamel damage because it is to easy to hold between your teeth.

One other option to hide tongue rings is to get the piercing as far back as possible in the tongue. This is not always the best technique because the placement of the ring depends largely on the location of veins in your tongue. Your professional piercer can help you determine where the tongue ring can go.

Many suggest that freshly pierced teens and adults try to keep their mouths closed as often as possible and try to talk quietly so they don’t have to open their mouths as wide.

Will I be able to eat immediately after getting my tongue pierced?

Once again, the culprit here is the swelling. Although you may not experience very much pain at the piercing site, the swollen size of your tongue may make it difficult to eat solid foods. Professionals recommend soup and soft foods like applesauce or mashed potatoes. Of course, just like a tonsillectomy, you can have as much ice cream as you can manage!

The swelling will begin to subside within a few days and your tongue should return to normal in about a week.

Jade Green is an expert on tongue rings and other body jewelry.