Tongue Ring Gauges and Lengths

There are a few choices to make when you get your tongue pierced, such as the width of the bar that's going to be through your tongue, and the length. Tongues are rarely pierced with anything skinnier than a 12 ga barbell, as there is a larger chance of thetongue ring tearing the area or slipping around in the piercing. You can, however, choose to go up to the width of an 8 ga barbell, which is quite thick. Of course, you will experience more pain with the larger gauges. The length of the barbell used will depend with the size of your tongue, and usually will be between 3/4" to 7/8". After the swelling goes down and initial healing period ends, you can have your piercer change your jewelry to a shorter barbell if you wish.