The Life That Is Mine

Well, about 2 1/2 years after getting my tongue pierced, I was forced to part with it. It was hard and definitely bummed me out...but was unavoidable. I have always known that tongue rings can damage your teeth, get infected, blah blah blah. My mother alone has reminded me of that hundreds of times. I did not think that it could do as much damage as it did though. I went to the dentist last week and my doctor had a very uneasy look on her face as she examined me. She told me that I must remove my tongue ring because it was completely destroying my teeth...chipping them and wearing away at the enamel of my teeth.
As someone with an oral fixation, I did constantly play with the metal bar in my mouth and the balls at each end of it...biting it, sliding it, twisiting it...anything I could do with it...and apparently although I was "orally occupied", I was also slowly but surely wrecking my teeth...to the extent that I will have numerous dentist visits in the near future to complete the work that will add up to upward of $1000. That is one expensive piercing...and my parents have been able to throw in quite a few "I told you so"'s since I shared the news. (I hate when that happens!)
I had grown quite attached to my tongue ring...but it's obviously past time to let it go. My mouth feels so awkward without it...and I have realized just how much I was playing with it in my teeth as I have been constantly and automatically attempting to do so...only to have nothing there. Anyhow...it was fun while it lasted...but not worth the consequences.
So...just a personal recommendation...if anyone is considering getting a tongue piercing...you may want to consider it just a little longer....unless you want dentures by the age of 50 and have thousands of extra dollars...neither of which category I fall into.
I guess I'll always have the countless scary pictures of my tongue to hold on to as memories :-P