I have my tongue pierced and I wear Invisalign! I’ve had my tongue pierced for approximately 19 years (I’m 36 right now so I was 17 when I had it pierced!)
This blog post is about my experience wearing Invisalign with a tongue piercing.
Please keep in mind that I already had my tongue piercing for many years before starting Invisalign. I don’t recommend getting your tongue freshly pierced at the same time as wearing aligners!
Hi, my name is Sarah and I completed my Invisalign journey in 75 weeks!
This blog documents my own personal experience with wearing Invisalign aligners - all the ups and the downs.
This blog does not constitute medical advice, so speak to a dental professional about any specific concerns.
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The Lowdown on Wearing Invisalign with a Tongue Piercing
If you’ve had your tongue piercing for a while, you’ll know that you barely notice it in day-to-day life, even if you play with it subconsciously like I do!
The truth is that wearing a tongue piercing makes absolutely no difference to your Invisalign journey, although some dental professionals may advise you to remove it for other reasons related to your oral health.
I have consistently worn my tongue piercing as normal throughout the duration of my Invisalign journey so far.
Why are Tongue Piercings frowned upon by Dentists?
Dentists do not like tongue piercings for various reasons:
- They gather bacteria and plaque. Any jewelry in your mouth is likely to gather bacteria which can harden into plaque.
- They risk chipping or injuring your teeth. If the jewelry is too big, there’s a risk that you can chip or crack your teeth with a tongue piercing.
- They cause gum recession. You gums can get worn away by piercings in the mouth, especially if the jewelry is big, ill-fitting or you play with the piercing a lot.
Daily Life with Invisalign and a Tongue Stud
As you probably know, you have to remove your Invisalign trays to eat, drink anything except for water and for brushing/flossing etc.
With a tongue stud, this is exactly the same.
Obviously, you don’t need to remove your tongue piercing to eat, but you should make sure it’s thoroughly cleaned regularly.
If you don’t clean the jewelry in your tongue piercing often, the surface of the barbell will become rough – this is bacteria – you don’t want that!
How to Clean your Tongue Stud while wearing Invisalign
- Remove the jewelry. You need to carefully remove the stud from your tongue without dropping it
- Disinfect the jewelry in boiling water or cleaning solution. Don’t put plastic jewelry in boiling water – only use hot water if it’s metal, otherwise use the cleaning solution recommended by the manufacturer.
- Put the stud into an Ultrasonic cleaning device. I use the same ultrasonic cleaner to clean my tongue stud and other jewelry as I do for my Invisalign aligners!
- Use mouthwash to rinse your tongue. The mouth wash can get into the piercing easily now you’ve removed it.
- Use a tongue scraper to clean your tongue. These are so satisfying and fun to use!
- Rinse the jewelry with cold water and put it back in your face! Now you can put your sparkling clean tongue stud back in!
Does Invisalign protect your teeth from the negative effects of tongue piercings?
It may feel like wearing your trays protects your teeth, but it’s unlikely as the jewelry in your mouth can still cause recession of your gums and soft tissue.
Besides, wearing aligners is temporary, it’s a journey, and you can’t have them in your mouth 24/7.
What about lip piercings and Invisalign?
Well, I also happen to have a lower lip piercing as well, but I removed this years before starting Invisalign treatment and it actually left a hefty scar!
However, I can imagine that the back of your lip piercing (if you’re wearing a labret bar with a flat internal end) would be incredibly annoying as it rubs against the front of aligner itself.
If you have a ring in your lip, I imagine it would be slightly less annoying, but still pretty annoying.
Other tips for wearing your tongue piercing and Invisalign at the same time
- Remove your tongue piercing before x-rays. During Invisalign, you may need some dental x-rays done. To save everyone’s time, remove your jewelry (and keep it somewhere safe!) before you attend your x-ray.
- Clean the piercing! Seriously, even if it’s not part of your routine, get used to cleaning your jewelry often. You brush your teeth every day, but how often do you clean your tongue piercing!?
- Avoid playing with the jewelry in your mouth. I know it’s tempting (trust me) but try not to push your tongue stud up against the back of the trays in case it damages them in any way.
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