Anything extra I should know before I get my tongue pierced?

Is there anything I should be worried about or take precation to before and after I get my tongue peirced anything that I should know?

it is going to swell up afterwards.. a lot.. drink lots of salt water.. thats what I did..
=)

just make sure you go to a professional to do it..
goodluck... it hurts like a b*tch

Go to a professional. This is not a piercing to be done at home. Follow his advice to the letter. If you do not understand his advice, get it clarified before you leave.
Good Luck!!

There is a minor risk of heavy bleeding if a vein is hit; however, a qualified piercer should have no problem avoiding blood vessels. Some bleeding is normal, but a medical professional should be contacted if it cannot be controlled.

The piercing has a tendency to heal a bit crooked as a result of the frenulum's placement in the exact center of the tongue. This is usually undetectable by anyone except the piercing's owner, but in some cases it can be quite pronounced.

Tooth and gum damage are risks, but they can be minimized by proper placement, the use of properly-sized jewelry, and avoiding playing with the piercing. A bar that is very large-gauge or too long can greatly increase the risk of chipped teeth or gum erosion, and excessive impacts of the metal against the teeth can cause micro-fractures in the tooth enamel.

A common misconception is that since the mouth is dirty (see staphylococcus and streptococcus), tongue and oral piercings are more prone to infection and will take longer than other piercings to heal. While it is true that the human mouth, and foods can contain numerous bacteria, saliva is highly effective at both protecting from infection and promoting healing.

For this reason, oral piercings tend to actually heal faster (4-6 weeks) than many other piercings, which can take many months depending on location, as long as appropriate care to prevent infection is taken. Mouthwash is frequently used to diminish chances of infection.

Be careful NOT to swallow the ball, because umm yes, and make sure you clean it regularly, or else it could get infected... Good luck. :]

please please pleeease do not click your piercing against the back of your teeth. its irritating as hell and it will damage your enamel.

swelling will stay ther for at least a few days
you might also have trouble prouncing the letters s and c for a while
it will take anywere from 6 months to over a year to heal
so wait at least 3-6 months before changing the peircing if your going to
dont overclean it, mouthwash only helps a bit but you dont want to over do it
also try a sea salt soak...put I teaspoon of sea salt in a cup of warm water and lput your toune in it for about 10-1 minutes every few days. it healps with healing
lots of things could go wrong, crooked, infection, hitting a nerve, paralizing the tounge, loss of sensation in parts of it even but those last 3 things are rare...( but no unheard of)
be aware that this is an important muscle of your body soyou need to get it peirced by a trusted profesional.

When I had mine done, my piercer made my gargle scope for like a minute which numbed the tongue for piercing, but gragling that crap for so long was the worst part!

I just had mine done a couple of months ago and my cousin, who did it, owns his own shop and has won many awards for his work. Here is my advice.

Buy some MIdol. It helps with the any pain and really helps with the swelling.

Get a big bottle of Listerine. You should gargle with it after you eat, drink or smoke.

Right after you get it done, go to Sonic and get a cream slush. It will feel really good on your tongue.

Buy a toothpaste and mouthwash that helps protect enamel.

Stephanie gave very good advice about getting the right size bar. You have to have the big one at first because of swelling, but after that get one that fits. My cousin had me wait a week then change it out to a small one. Be quick when you change it, a freshly pierced tongue will close up fast. What I did with mine was unscrewed the ball on the top and took the new tongue bar and pushed the other one out with it then screwed the ball back on, on the underside of my tongue.

I did all the things I told I have posted and I didn't have any problems with mine at all. Good luck !