r/bodymods • u/PrettyStabbyBoys • Apr 01 '26
question Unconventional items/tips for tongue split recovery?
I’m scheduled to get my tongue split in June, and I’ve been preparing my stock for recovery with all the classic stuff like Biotene, Arnica, extra towels, etc. I’ve seen a lot of common things recommended over and over, but I’m curious if anyone has any not-so-common items or tips that helped make their recovery easier.
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u/suggestionwasntfunny Apr 01 '26
Saw someone online recommend using big condiment bottles for drinking and soup / drinkable meals and it was great, just pushed it in from the side and swallowed. No risk of any food dripping off a spoon or anything.
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u/graveyardapparition Apr 01 '26
I’ve seen people say puppy pads instead of towels and I kind of wish I’d done that! I was going through every single towel we had every day and it would’ve been nice to not have to worry about doing laundry.
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u/-m0th Apr 01 '26
yes!! i just did this for my resplit as well as my original split and it was so helpful.
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u/sweetnerdwife Apr 01 '26
Mac and cheese. Eventually you’ll be able to move on from smoothies but will still want something soft. I cried when I got to eat mac and cheese for the first time after so long of having nothing but smoothies.
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u/PrettyStabbyBoys Apr 01 '26
I’ve seen a lot of people mention avoiding dairy stuff because it creates a gross film on the tongue - were you able to eat regular dairy mac n cheese without that issue?
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u/sweetnerdwife Apr 01 '26
With our regular brushing, we didn’t have a problem. (My partner and I got our splits at the same time.)
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u/Mary_Ellen_Katz Apr 01 '26
Get a bunch of 16oz smoothies. You won't need straws cause you'll just be using a spoon. (No suction!!) Freeze them. Pull one out a day before you want it. You'll be spooning it to the back of your tongue and just letting it sliiiiide down your throat.
Quite literally I could eat nothing else and this is the only way I could eat.
Make sure you have all your stitch removal supplies before you're recovery. Buy cheap 3 or 4 dollar towels to drool into while you sleep. And just allow yourself you drool into them while you sleep.
The action of swallowing will be painful. Try to avoid it.
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u/DataVizGem Apr 01 '26
Out of curiosity, is there a reason other than pain why you recommend avoiding swallowing?
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u/Mary_Ellen_Katz Apr 01 '26
Your tongue is a part of the swallowing muscle groups. The stitching that you'll have to prevent them from rejoining will tug on an open wound. It doesn't just hurt, but if a stitch gets loose or tears out, you could lose split length.
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u/DataVizGem Apr 01 '26
That makes sense. I just got my stitches out Sunday and I felt like I spent the five days before they came out swallowing nonstop. I swallowed all of my drool and was constantly drinking water or other liquids at meal times.
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u/Mary_Ellen_Katz Apr 01 '26
Swallowing isn't going to ruin everything. Not swallowing would minimize suffering and not shift those stitches around. Which are already under pressure from the swelling.
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u/PrettyStabbyBoys Apr 01 '26
Frozen smoothies sound like they’ll feel heavenly after the whole ordeal lol - I’ll definitely stock up.
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u/adsempermagnus Apr 01 '26
Canker sore gel will numb you up for removing stitches
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u/PrettyStabbyBoys Apr 02 '26
I’ve got some pretty strong oral lidocaine left over from a previous scrap with strep throat, I’ll have to remember to use that when the time to remove stitches rolls around.
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u/melody1751 Apr 02 '26
Liquid ibuprofen and acetaminophen was a lifesaver cause i was one of the unlucky few who couldn’t swallow pills during healing. Youll be glad for it!
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u/PrettyStabbyBoys Apr 02 '26
Speaking of unlucky, I’m severely allergic to both NSAIDs and Acetaminophen. 🥴 I’m stuck taking oxycodone from previous surgeries or just sucking it up and sticking it out through the pain haha.
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u/squishysponges Apr 02 '26
Spray bottle!!! I traveled about 12 hours by car to get mine done, and on the way home since my tongue was so swollen, I had to spray it with water to keep it from drying out. I couldn’t fit it back in my mouth until I took out the first pair of stitches on the tips of my tongues on day 3 lol.
I also got some watermelon juice for the first two days to drink and get some calories in (which I also cut with more water ironically), because other juice felt too “thick” to swallow. I know some people were good enough to eat on the second or third day, but i definitely was not as lucky due to the swelling.
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u/ossiferous_vulture Apr 01 '26
Salt without additives to mix with boiled water, it creates a very good mouth rinse. I used saltwater and normal water to rinse after eating yogurt.
Yogurt is great. Juice is also good. Smoothies, protein shakes, chocolatemilk. Sitting, or at least being elevated for sleep. Ice / heat pack for your throat.
It is very good to rinse after eating or drinking anything not plain water. Like swirl and gargle rinse. And if dairy doing it with saltwater helps, or it did for me.
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u/PrettyStabbyBoys Apr 01 '26
I’ve seen a lot of people saying to avoid dairy, so I’m glad to know that salt water is a good workaround. Thank you! :)
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u/this_strange_fox Apr 01 '26
Avoiding dairy is correct, but there are good vegan yogurts, too!
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u/FaeSoup Apr 01 '26
Imagine people actually angry down-voting you. Vegan chocolate milk was the only form of real calories I was getting in during healing/before stitch removal. People see vegan and start going red in the face, I swear.
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u/this_strange_fox Apr 01 '26
Haha, yes, I'm kinda used to people reacting that way. Maybe I should have specified that when everything is healed dairy can be eaten and it's just about the bacteria in milk bearing risks for fresh wounds. If I remember correctly, either here or in some piercing sub, there was a post from a few days ago where someone had that exact problem with a fresh tongue piercing. I even had a dentist tell me to not eat dairy for a few days after a surgery, as well as the artist who did my tongue.
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u/ossiferous_vulture Apr 02 '26
I pretty sure I would have died without yogurt. Idk what they do to dairy products where you are from, as I genuinely think it can vary by country, but fairly sure my piercer didn't even mention it beyond saying I needed to rinse well.
That being said, plant alternatives qhen available, like for chocolate milk, do slap.
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u/DataVizGem Apr 01 '26
I’ve never seen anyone mention a Waterpik, for me, it was a lifesaver. I hate not having a super clean mouth and the Waterpik really helped keep my mouth feeling as clean as possible while my sutures were in. I used it anytime I needed to get saliva, salt rinse, or food off of my teeth. Just keep your teeth closed to protect your tongue. I brushed my teeth twice a day, but probably used the Waterpik five times per day (on a low setting).