How To Remove a Tongue Stud

Perhaps you are ready to get rid of that impulsive tongue stud you got when you turned eighteen? Or maybe your present employer frowns upon piercings? If so, here is how you can accomplish the removal of your tongue stud.

Your first step is to thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water. This is very important, because you will be reaching down into your mouth around the opening where the piercing is. Once you have washed your hands, make sure you dry them well, as you will need to have them dry to get a good grip on the tongue stud in order to remove it.

Now you want to get in front of a mirror so you can see what exactly you are doing. Your next step will be to reach in with your non-dominant hand and press down on the top of the stud. You should now see the shaft and the ball poking through. If you do not, then you will need to press down harder. The more you can see the shaft and ball, the better grip you can get to remove the tongue stud.

While still pressing down on the top of the tongue stud, reach in with your other hand and twist the other ball at the bottom of the shaft clockwise until it comes off. The drier your hands are, the easier this will be to accomplish. Once it is off, you can now slide the shaft up and out of the hole in your tongue. You have officially removed your tongue stud.

Finally, you want to make sure to rinse your mouth and tongue thoroughly with a disinfecting mouthwash, such as Listerine. This will help kill any germs you introduced into your mouth from your hands. If you plan to reuse the previous tongue stud, it's a good idea to let it sit in a cup of mouthwash for a few minutes to disinfect that as well.

Now you have a decision to make. Are you going to put the stud back in the future? If so, then thread a small piece of fishing wire through the hole to keep it open and tie it. This is important, because the hole in a tongue piercing can close rapidly - sometimes within just a few hours. Another option is to buy a clear tongue stud to replace the previous one. This is harder to see and works for those who are only removing their tongue studs for work.