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I'm 15 turning 16 is it too early to get my tongue pierced?...

<< Back to: rec.arts.bodyart: Piercing FAQ 2E--Genital Piercings & Their Suggested Jewelry

Answer by Aaron
Submitted on 3/11/2004
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Hey! I just saw this message board. For those of you who are under 18, wait until you turn 18 to get pierced or get your parents permission and have it done professionally. I personally, have been pierced 7 times in the past year, one of them includes my tongue. All of mine have been done by a professional piercer. Yes, it does cost some money, but when it comes down to your health, is it really worth saving money? Out of all of my piercings, prince albert, apadravya, nipples done twice, and tongue, the tongue, by far is the least painful. You'll feel a lot better, and your parents will feel better about it too if you get it done in a reputable shop. e-mail me at pa_piercing@gawab.com if you have any questions.

Answer by joeapro
Submitted on 6/11/2004
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I'm 20, and Just to let you all know. The Majority of Guy's think tongue rings are disgusting.Yes there are a few who do like them, but we can't quite figure out what's going on in their heads. And, there is a special reason why girls originally started getting them that now displays girls in a very negative image.I'm sure you can figure out what exactly that is. Many Many Many lesbians get tongue rings for the same reason. DO NOT get one unless you are ready to be talked about behind your back, made fun of by other girls and even guys, possibly labeled as gay when you aren't and ready are to risk an infection on your tongue (the part of your body that carries the most bacteria) which takes about two weeks to get rid of with proper care, which would cause white tastable puss, and minor pain/irritation. Go out and get your hair done or something, don't get a piece of metal shoved through your tongue.

Answer by Amber
Submitted on 10/12/2004
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I just pierced my tongue about two weeks ago. It swelled up but didnt really hurt at all. I showed my mom and she almost passed out. Im 15 and they wanted me to take it out but, of course, I refused. Then, we settled on a deal. I get a smaller ball for it and I can keep it. I was totally shocked by this! I used a very long needle for it. (your mom probably has one of these lying around the house.) I just found a straight place and twisted it on through. It took me about 5 minutes but the pain was minimum. It was probably the coolest & stupidest thing I believe I have ever done. I mean, Im not a hoe or lesbian or anything! But my dad said thats what people are going to think. I told him that thats what people thought back when he was in school. Now days, its as common as getting your ears pierced! But my uncle(he's a piercer, he did my belly button when I was 13) said that I was one of the lucky ones. That is the most dangerous place that anyone can get pierced. There are two major veins on the bottom of your tongue. If you hit on of them, you could actually bleed to death. Im not going to lie to you, I love my 11 piercings. But I got all of them except my tongue done professionally. And there are not many places that wont check for ID. They can get sued for that. My sister said that getting a piercing will make me addicted to the pain. Well, it did. Now the pain really doesnt occur to me at all. I love it. But Im going to tell you the truth. Please wait until you are ready and have looked up everything you need to know because if you dont, and you are not ready for the responsibility and the pain, then it will be hell on your part. So Im not telling you to give up your dreams on getting you tongue pierced, just wait until you ready. (Which sounds really weird coming from a girl with 11 piercings, but I was ready and took care of mine!)

Answer by Random guy
Submitted on 11/25/2004
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ok im almost 16 and i ve wanted my tongue pierced for a while now. About 3 weeks ago i got a hollowed out needle from a friend of mine. u need to use a hollow needle, like a surenge, or else a 12 even 14 gd wont fit and it'll be hard to do it( trust me i know from experience). i priced it myself as soon as i could. i disinfected the needle by burning, boiling and sticking it in alcohol. Same with the jewelry. i washed my mouth out with Listerine then salt water. i stuck my tongue out and held it with some paper towels and put the needle thru, altho it wasnt fast it took maybe 2 min cus i wanted to make sure it was going straight. i left the needle in there for 5 min then pulled it out and stuck the jewlrey tru. (btw it was 14 gd and long then the one i stuck in 2 weeks after its 12 gd and normal lenght) It has yet to get infected ( after 3 weeks) i wash my mouth out with salt water after i eat when i wake up and b4 i go to bed i take care of it.

Answer by Emy
Submitted on 11/30/2004
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Okay, okay let's all say it together..."Emily, you are a dumb ass!" You have no idea how many times I've been told that exact statement this week. Yes, I admit I pierced my own tongue. Yes, it was stupid but oh well. I pierced my tongue about a month ago with a kit that I bought from Bwild.com. The kit gives you the correct needle those tongs-type of things W/gloves and the ring. Even though everything looked clean I sterilized it, just in case. If you don't know you are suppose to pierce your tongue from the bottom up, so you can but in the ring a lot easier.Also note I brushed my teeth and also used a mouthwash for a couple of minutes. I pierced it at night(everyone would be sleeping), so I couldn't really tell if there was swelling much. But as soon as I woke up it was huge! Well not that huge, sorry I tend to exaggerate a little bit. I would say my tongue doubled in size. The actual piercing did not hurt, although it was a little awkward pushing it through myself. The swelling went down within a week. I finally got my barbel changed into a smaller 14 gage. I love my piercing and wouldn't take it out for the world. But, I do insist for all of you to get a professional to do it. If you do it yourself you'll worry too much and get sick like I did. Overall it was an okay experience I would of rather to have gotten a pro to do it, but oh well. If you all were wondering I'm sixteen. One more note, I did not do it because of my girlfriend, I did it for myself....a little gift to myself. Gosh, one more thing, I caution you there will be A LOT of drooling! anyways happy piercing!.....I warn you piercings are addictive, I started out with six holes in the ninth grade, and I know have thirteen (ears, eyebrow, navel, tongue, and cartilage.

Answer by David r
Submitted on 1/11/2005
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hey people that are looking forward on piercing their toungue on their own heres the deal i got mine a couple of weeks ago im 14 i pierced it my self all u have to do is get a 14 g or w.e g u want and the toungue ring u pierce it in the middle near the tip of the toungue but not that close it hurts a lil but after a while it feels really good change the ring like 1 a week and clean it every day with mouth wash or w.e i used mouth wash evry time after i ate and well my toungue is ok be sure its straight im a guy and the reason that i got it its because its cool and well besides i got 1. 00g and a 2g on each ear and im about to get one in my nose like a bull well thats all i can say follow good guide lines

Answer by jennifer
Submitted on 2/12/2005
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hey. i know everyone says dont pierce your tongue yourself but i did. the way i did it was the wrong way but it worked. what you do i go somewhere like the bathroom ( and lock the door) where no one can catch you. you have to get a thick needle and have to have a tongue ring ( of course). you pierce it through the top and then eventually its goes through. then you lift up your tongue and look at the whole. the take the tongue ring and put the tongue rings through the bottom and then screw it at the top. it will bleed a little and will become swollen. evryone at school comes up to me and says let me see it. you HAVE to wash your mouth out w/ mouthwash everytime you eat. and in the morning gargle salt water. l8ter ps im 15.

Answer by Mashy
Submitted on 3/9/2005
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My friend who is like 14 just got her tongue peirced by her brother and since ive been wanting it for 5 years i knew this was my perfect chance. my parents absolutely forbid it, but i went ahead anyway. I got it peirced by my friends brother. I dont know about other people, but mine hurt like HELL. When the needle went through it didnt hurt that much but when he put the ring through it hurt a lot. It hurts to eat too, and yes biting your tongue ring is sooo painful hahaha. I think my tongue is starting to get infected, so please dont be dumb like me and GO TO A PROFESSIONAL. Also if you peirce it yourself, or get ti done with a friend, know that though ur veins are usually on the side of ur tongue, there is a nerve that goes right through the middle of your tongue. if it even clips it, it will hurt like shiiiiit, and you probably wont have mobility of your tongue. Im 15, and i think its not slutty what so ever. Go and get it done, just be careful how you do it, and take really good care of it !!

Answer by KaeKae
Submitted on 4/3/2005
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ok im 16 and getting ready to turn 17 i think 15 isn't to young as long as your responsible and mature enough to do it. Thats why my mom let me get mine two months ago. We talked about it for about a month and found a really nice girl that had been piercing forever we found out about this place because my moms friend told her about it. So on a Saturday morning my mom step-dad and i were getting ready to go to the place. we all looked at the bottom of our tongues and we didn't see a vein. I was really scared when we got there my step-dad was the first one to go. When he was in the chair it was really scary. when he came out he looked shocked. He couldn't talk about it because its kinda hard to because it kindly hurts. My mom went next she didn't think it hurt. Now i can stand pain but when it comes to needles i am so scared of them the girl told me to sit in the chair she gave me this mouth wash to rinse while she got the fresh needle out and tongue ring. She looked at my tongue and it had a vein in the middle of it. so she had to go to the side a little you cant tell though. The actual piercing doesn't hurt at all. Mine didn't hurt until that night my whole mouth was sore even my throat but it isn't a pain you cant deal with. Over the next few days it was hard to talk and even eat. The worst part of the whole ordeal was the diet. Your not aloud to eat any dairy products or hot foods or even stuff with eggs in it because they have allot of bacteria which will cause infection. you had to rinse your mouth out every time you eat or smoke or drink anything but water. My advice to anyone who wants it do it go for it and be sure to have allot of mouth wash and allot of Popsicles because thats the easiest thing to eat.

Answer by Dannysbaby01
Submitted on 6/25/2005
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Hey, I'm 18 and I want to get my tongue pierced so bad. I know that any needle going through anything on your body is going to hurt, but I really want it done. I already have 5 in each ear, (that are gauged), my navel, my traegus, my nose and I have a monroe (Which is similar to a lowbret for those of you who don't know what it is.) I have no idea why I am so afraid of this, but I need an honest answer if it hurts really bad or not. It won't sway the decision cuz I can take pain, but to know from someone that has it done would help me feel a little better. And for everyone doing it yourself, that's really dangerous and unsanitary. There are 2 mayjor veins in the bottom of your tongue. But if you haven't done it already, DO NOT DO IT YOURSELF!!! You could suffer severe blood loss, or even nerve damage. If you like your tongue, and want to keep it DO NOT PIERCE IT YOURSELF!!! Go to a professional, they are there for a reason.... But anyway, I just want to know how bad the thing hurts,... I'm thinkin', if I have 15 piercings already I can handle it, but you know how you start to think about it before you get anything pierced. So if you could, let me know.... Thanks!!!

Answer by Mel
Submitted on 7/4/2005
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I'm 15 and I got my tongue pierced in May, I suggest that if you really wanna get it done, go to a pro. Don't do it yourself as you could end up with nasty infections and even worse could stick the needle through the wrong place. When I got my tongue pierced it didn't hurt that much but from my experience I learned that it's harder work than it seems. You probably think "Yeah, Ill just get my tongue pierced and Mom and Dad won't notice" or "It'll be easy, it can't take much work to take care of it" But you're wrong. For those of you who are planning on getting your tongues pierced without your parents knowing you're seriously messing up. Do you really think they won't notice the lisp you'll have? Or the huge swollen tongue? Or even less that you won't be able to eat well for the next 3 or 4 days? Taking care of it is extremely important. Nobody likes an infected piercing, especially in their mouth. Brush your teeth after everything you eat and use mouthwash. Good luck.

Answer by TINY
Submitted on 9/4/2005
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I'm getting my tongue pierced for my 16th birthday.. most of my friends have it done and my sister is totally against it.. she said you have to "suit" you piercings.. which means if you have a right pretty face you might not want to get a bar through the bridge of your nose .. if you know what i mean.. my cousin is also against it.. he thinks its gross..and I'm not going to care what people say behind my back.. whatever they say i like to go along with.. you should try it something.. you would have ALOT of fun watching people's faces when they see you do something that has to do with the rumour.. like i was called a les one time so i kissed a chick.. i still remember the look on the guy who started it face! anyways.. yeah if you wanna get it done go to a professional and go some where where you need ID becase the places you dont need it probally arent as sanitary* as you think they is!

Answer by prissy717
Submitted on 9/16/2005
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hey i am 15 and i wont to get my tongue pierced, but my mom dont really know if she wonts me to get it done or not, i already have my belly pierced and ive had my cartilage pierced too, alot of people dont think that i should get it done just because im more of a prissy little girl and all and they say that it wont look right or whatever...but im sure that i wont it done, i am sort of scared about the pain but my belly and cartilage didnt hurt really and people tell me that getting a tongue ring dont really hurt that bad either...i think that i could build up the courage to get it, i am a prissy girl but i dont think that i would look that bad with it...but i need some advice about it..so if anyone at all has any advice then write me at strawberries_1023@hotmail.com that's my e-mail address and i check it often...or if u got msn messenger then my addy is strawberries_1023?!?!?!?

Answer by sam
Submitted on 11/24/2005
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hey, im 19 years old, and i have my tongue pierced, i kno im late here but i came across this, to the 20 yrs old, who the hell do u think u r tellin people wat they should and shouldnt do is it ne of ur business NO!! i got mine done when i was 18, it didnt get infected nor did it get irritated or ne thing like that, it was perfect from the minute he shoved the needle thru till now. im happy i got it my family wasnt except for my brother cuz he has his done to. but i say dont listen to ne one else, its pointless cuz people need to do their own thing no matter how old they r, whether ur 15 or 20..... and ya some guys dont like them but i kno alot that do and most guys i kno already kno that they arent gettin supposedly wat it does to a guy, cuz i let them kno i am not a "slut" nor ne object of their desires. u juss gotta make it clear to guys, that its for u not them.... so do wat u want i say and i am not tellin u wat to do i am juss hoping u take my lil up in ur decision...

Answer by latinagirl
Submitted on 12/6/2005
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I got my tongue pierced last year when i was 17. It didnt hurt at all and it never got swollen. i guess i was one of the lucky ones. i took real good care of it. i brushed after each meal and i used mouth wash. i also used mouth wash after i drank something. i think thats why it healed so good. i still brush after i eat to keep it clean and i clean the barbell every week. as for piercing it yourself thats just stupid. you can really hurt yourself. And as for being a hoe or watever they think a girl is when they have thier tongue pierced isnt true at all. alot of guys like it. they say it feels pretty good. it feels good when a guy has it done to. if u know wat i mean. lol. i kissed a guy who has his pierced and i have mine done to. thats fun. lol

Answer by Sammie
Submitted on 2/24/2006
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i got my tongue done this past christmas as a present. i have been bugging my mom since i was 12, and i finally got it done. i got it pierced in the city (NY) for around 35...it usually cost about 50 but my friends bf negotiated. for the past 5 years people have been telling me all this bad stuff about it. (ex...it hurts, it will swell, u cant eat, etc.) some good advice is to close ure eyes when its being pierced. its over faster and it dont seem to hurt as much..if u watch it, u can get real nervous and pull ure tongue in which will result into a possible split tongue and we dont want that.another piece of advice is to push the barbel down with the roof of ur mouth until the top ball is touching ure tongue...ure speech doesnt slur as much. as for myself, i went to mcdonalds a half hour after i got it done and ate a double cheeseburger, fries and an M&M Mcflurry...go me. there is the possibility of biting down on the barbel, but if ure careful its ok. just chew slowly and concentrate on where ure teeth are and where the barbel is. afterwards, i chewed alot of gum for practice...ive only had it for around 2 months and its perfect so far...ure tongue will swell up, even a little bit...suck on ice chips or drink cold water..try to steer away from hot liquids (as they will swell it up even more, colder liquids will make the swelling go down)...DO NOT USE MOUTHWASH 20,000 TIMES A DAY!! once or twice a day is all u need...if u keep gargling with mouthwash, it will make ure tongue turn anywhere from yellow to green...just brush ure teeth 3 times a day, and gargle with warm water and SEA salt...notice how i emphasize SEA...every 2 weeks, grab a toothbrush and gently brush the barbel and the balls. it will heal perfectly. as for thinking you are a slut...make it into a joke! before they could say that, put a smile on and say hey look, now i really got 2 balls and a rod in my mouth at all times!!! than laugh..trust me, it will bring a lot of giggles...good giggles...well, i bring my departure among these last words...happy tongue ing!!! by the way...the girls love it and im sure the guys will too!!!!!

Answer by Natasha
Submitted on 3/4/2006
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I am 16 and I recently got my tongue pierced. I am telling you DO NOT I repeat DO NOT do it yourself!!! By doing so you are automatically putting yourself at risk. There are nerves and veins in your tongue that will cause a lot of problems if you hit them. After you get your tongue pierced, you have to take care of your mouth for the rest of your life. I keep a bottle of mouthwash in my locker, and rinse my mouth on a regular basis to keep it clean. A tongue piercing can be a really risky piercing. For all of the young girls here who are desperately trying you get your tongue pierced, WAIT. Wait at least until you're 16. It is worth waiting. Also, make sure your parents are okay with it, they WILL notice and in the end it's not worth the hassle. I will agree with "joeapro", I have met my fair share of guys and girls who hate tongue rings, but in the end, it's up to you. Do your research and be responsible about it.

Answer by Jenn
Submitted on 3/9/2006
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I am 18 and i got my tongue pierced when i was 17. It doesnt really hurt the worst part is the swelling afterwards. Its not all that its cracked up to be. I love having mine but its no different then not having one. As for people talking about you saying your gay or slutty or whatever i have had mine done for a year going on two years and no one has said anything negative about it. No one will lable you gay or slutty. The only people that dont like it too much are older people. My grandma freaked when she found out. But everyone else was like cool did it hurt? so dont worry about what others think. If you know you arent gay or a slut thats all that matters. As for most guys thinking its gross, all the ones i have seen or talked to that notice i have a tongue ring do not think its gross they all want their girlfriends to get it done. So dont worry about that either. But as for the age, i dont know i personally think 13 and 14 are a little young.

Answer by CoNcReTe GiRl
Submitted on 3/9/2006
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well i got my tongue pierced when i was 17 i had it done professionally but my mom went with me...and really it doesn't hurt except like a week after it was really swollen but nothin' that ice and some tongue numbin' stuff didn't take care of and there are a few kids in my school that have it done and we didn't do it to be cool or because we are gay or anything like that..we did it because we can and i say to everyone that wants to get it done more power to you! the only part that sucks is you can't drink any thing with yeast in it and you aren't supposed to provide any oral for 4 weeks but some how i managed to make it through that! but really it's not that bad and it only cost me $30 including the barbell...so get it done if you want and don't worry about what everyone thinks...i mean damn it's your tongue!!!

Answer by anon
Submitted on 3/15/2006
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any one willing to do piercing withing out needing proof of age and not having you sing a consent form, should be a big red flag, sure you might have to wait a while but it's worth having it done correctly, I got my eye brow done at a place like that, and it's growing out, the same thing can happen to your tounge, that's why I got waited and got my tounge done at a good place, I had to sign a weaver, and prove I was sixteen, but it was worth it becuase it's been only two weeks and is healed up really well. As or boys, some of them just need to grow up, my boyfriend couldn't care less weather or not it's pierced, most guys don't care at all, some might think it's hot, but the same a mount think it's not, so think about it first, I've been thinking about mine since I was ten, and it took me 8 months of being sixteen to think about it, and decide I would go and get it done. Just think about what you're doing, and who you're doing it for.

Answer by bratgoddess79
Submitted on 4/13/2006
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Joeapro...you're an idiot..keep your dumb opinions to yourself. Infections in the mouth are pretty rare as long as you do what you're supposed to. Your mouth is actually pretty clean considering your saliva has antimicrobial properties that fight off dirty germy crap. I am a 26 year old female with her tongue pierced in three places...no one calls me lesbian. And anyone who thinks negatively about me for it is just stupid. Anyway...to the rest of you, there's nothing wrong with wanting to get your tongue pierced...but you really should have it done at a shop. If you don't know what you're doing you could destroy your tongue and with it your ability to speak. Those veins are pretty important. Is a cute piercing really worth a life of sign language? And you should wait until you're 18...it's just a better idea. For one thing your body is more fully developed at that age...and that does change the placement of piercings. You can ignore everything I say...but do me a favor...check out safepiercing.org and read what's there. Make informed decisions.

Answer by Melissa
Submitted on 4/30/2006
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Getting a piercing is a responsibility. Tongue piercings are complicated. You know you have to go back to the piercer two weeks later to get a shorter barbell? About the whole slut thing that's not true. Piercing is becoming very accepted in today's society. I'm currently not allowed to get mine pierced, but that doesn'tmean when I do I'm suddenly going to turn into a slut. If your parents say no please don't do it yourself just wait. I'm 17 I have one more year to go. And I respect my parents decision. They let me get my belly button done but not my tongue because it can cause mouth damage and they don't want that on their watch. What you might want now you may hate in three years. Just enjoy life and you'll be 18 before you know it. If you still want to do it then then go for it. I know I will. and if your parents say yes now, More power to ya. <3 Mel * I know a lot about piercings any questions E-mail me @ HersheyKiss3705@msn.com

Answer by Yohanna
Submitted on 5/5/2006
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Could you tell us how to pierce a tongue? At first, massage your tongue by chewing softly using your teeth. Once the tongue is relaxed, put ice on it in order to make it cold, and to freeze it. This deadens the nerves temporarily. After that, stick out your tongue, so that you can see the blood vessel on the back of the tongue. Actually that is a nerve. Pierce the tongue from the back to the front. Avoid the nerve by using a needle with a 2-mm diameter. Immediately after the needle has almost finished piercing the tongue, insert a tongue ring into the puncture on the tongue. Spin a nut with pretty bead on the ring, and you get a pretty pierced tongue. Does it hurt? It depends on the individual. People who have a lot of nerves feel a lot of pain, but most people don't feel very much pain. For one week, the tongue will be less sensitive, but it will recover its sensitivity. During that week, avoid drinking liquor and smoking. After having meals, rinse the mouth out. If you play with the tongue ring a lot, the ring can move forward, and that is not good.

Answer by Yohanna
Submitted on 5/5/2006
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Could you tell us how to pierce a tongue? At first, massage your tongue by chewing softly using your teeth. Once the tongue is relaxed, put ice on it in order to make it cold, and to freeze it. This deadens the nerves temporarily. After that, stick out your tongue, so that you can see the blood vessel on the back of the tongue. Actually that is a nerve. Pierce the tongue from the back to the front. Avoid the nerve by using a needle with a 2-mm diameter. Immediately after the needle has almost finished piercing the tongue, insert a tongue ring into the puncture on the tongue. Spin a nut with pretty bead on the ring, and you get a pretty pierced tounge. Does it hurt? It depends on the individual. People who have a lot of nerves feel a lot of pain, but most people don't feel very much pain. For one week, the tongue will be less sensitive, but it will recover its sensitivity. During that week, avoid drinking liquor and smoking. After having meals, rinse the mouth out. If you play with the tongue ring a lot, the ring can move forward, and that is not good.