Smoking Weed After Tongue Piercing

People have been expressing themselves with piercings for thousands of years. One of the most popular piercings nowadays is tongue piercing. If you’re a stoner thinking about getting a tongue piercing you may be wondering if you can light up before and after the procedure. You’ve probably heard that smoking weed after wisdom teeth removal may not be a great idea. So, can you smoke after a tongue piercing?

Photo: Unsplash

Can You Smoke After a Tongue Piercing? (Cigarettes)

First, let’s cover cigarettes before going into weed. Great aftercare practices are important in making sure your piercing heals properly. One way you can help your piercing heal is by avoiding smoking. According to Act For Libraries, you should avoid smoking for 10 days after your piercing. The nicotine in cigarettes will delay the healing process. Rinse your mouth regularly if you’re using anything with nicotine. An alternative to frequent rinsing is putting a wet tea bag over the piercing. 

According to Tat Ring, smoking after having your tongue pierced can cause:

• Irritation
• Infection
• Discomfort
• Excess swelling

Healthline also mentioned that smoking should be avoided as the tongue piercing heals. 

Is it Safe to Smoke Weed After a Tongue Piercing?

There isn’t a lot of information out there on how weed affects piercing. Act for Libraries said that weed should be avoided after a tongue piercing. Neither Tat Ring nor Healthline differentiated between tobacco and weed smoking. 

However, we can deduce that it’s probably best to avoid smoking weed from a bong, dab rig or joint during the delicate healing process. Healthline suggests taking especially great care of the rest of your mouth during the healing process. Healthline says that brushing and flossing daily will help keep the bacteria in your mouth from getting to your piercing.  So you may be wondering what that has to do with weed use. Well, many people experience a dry mouth when using weed, and having a dry mouth can increase the risk of oral infections. 

According to the American Dental Association (ADA) says that cannabis use causes dry mouth which leads to other dental conditions. The ADA also says, “The use of cannabis, particularly marijuana smoking, has been associated with poor quality of oral health”. The organization admitted that many of these dental issues may also be due to cannabis users using weed in conjunction with tobacco, alcohol as well as infrequent dental visits. 

Can You Use Weed After Getting a Tongue Piercing? (Edibles)

There isn’t much information about the compounds found in weed and how they affect a tongue piercing. Stoners may want to use weed to help with the pain and swelling while the piercing heals. Since smoking weed from a bong or dab rig may lead to oral problems which definitely should be avoided while a piercing is healing, we can explore other options. Another popular form of using weed is edibles. Before you make or grab an edible, there are some foods that are okay to eat and others that you should probably avoid. 

Foods to Eat After Tongue Piercing

According to Healthline, the following types of food are allowed while the tongue piercing is healing are soft foods such as:

• Ice cream
• Mashed potatoes
• Yogurt
• Oatmeal
• Applesauce

Foods to Avoid After Tongue Piercing

Moreover, there are foods you should avoid so as not to aggravate piercing such as:

• Crunchy foods such as potato chips.
• Spicy foods
• Spices in general 
• Salty or acidic foods 

In terms of drinks, Healthline recommends drinking water during the healing process and to avoid coffee and alcohol. Both caffeine and alcohol have blood-thinning properties which can delay healing. 

If you can find an edible made without foods you’re meant to avoid, you’ll probably be fine. It doesn’t hurt to check your doctor though. 

Conclusion

There isn’t a lot of information available on whether or not smoking weed after a tongue piercing is okay. The consensus is that smoking should be avoided in general. Coupled with the fact that great oral health is really important during the healing process, it’s best to avoid things like cotton mouth if you can. Using an edible may be okay after getting a new piercing, however, be careful not to eat the food that will irritate the piercing, cause you pain or prolong healing. Taking care of a new tongue piercing is important if you want to avoid infections and other problems. Typically your piercer will let you know what after-care activities you should be doing. If they don’t, prompt them and write them down so you don’t forget. As usual, it’s always a good idea to get the opinion of a medical professional.