Tongue piercing is done with straight barbell. Most common gauge used is 14 Ga. When initially pierced the length of the barbell must be at least 3/4" to accommodate swelling. After piercing has healed it's recommended to change it to shorter barbell. 9/16" (14 mm) - is most common size. While steel balls are more fun when clicking on your teeth but try not to wear them all the time. Steel balls are damaging your teeth. We recommend to wear acrylic balls most of the time.