I got my tongue pierced about 6 months ago and maybe 2 days ago it started hurting a little bit on the bottom. It also looks like there's little white ring around the piercing hole on the bottom. Additional details: I have been sick for about 5 days now with a head cold, which has caused me to sleep breathing through my mouth (drying it out) and about 2 weeks ago while I was out of town the ball broke right before bed and I had no choice but to leave it out for 6 hours in order not to swallow it. I set my alarm to wake me up and the hole hadn't closed and I was able to go out that day and get a replacement. I use a steel bar with plastic balls and an inner screwing mechanism (the bar inserts into the ball and screws tight). Symptoms of my cold: runny/plugged nose, a minutely sore throat, achy body/random sharp pains in assorted areas and a pretty bad headache/ear ache (I guessed from the sinus pressure). I don't need to hear all the dangers of tongue piercings I fully understand and consented to it. I am willing to take if out/whatever else may help heal. I also usually clean each piercing/my mouth when I brush my teeth and change my piercing with aneseptic mouthwash however I've been out a while but I'm getting more tomorrow.

Hi, I had a lip piercing years ago and it got infected.
Make sure the tongue bar isn't to small and try leave it alone if I where you. Try and desolve salt water and swish it in your mouth daily for a couple of weeks.

How to Tell if a Piercing Is Infected: 9 Steps (with Pictures)

Adviseable to use salt water instead of antiseptic mouth wash. You have a minor body infection, the cold and symptoms, so this is probably ascerbating the tongue piercing. Your immune system is taking a hit.