View Full Version : Chewing the inside of my mouth
I dont know if anyone else does this but i have a really bad, bad habit. I hate admitting it but for years (as long as i can ever remember) i've chewed the inside of my mouth. sometimes i do it so much, it ends up really sore and bleeding.
i have seen on the internet that other people do it so i'm not the only one but it does scare me the thought that i could be damaging the skin so it goes cancerous in years to come
you'd think that knowledge would stop me; but i cant. i even had lines on my face because i've done it so much there are wrinkles which have come as a result. i really would like to stop
you'd also think that a fear of germs would stop me doing it (having dirty fingers near my mouth) but not even that seems to stop me.
i used to bite my nails really badly (so they'd be sore and bleed). so i know it's a replacement for that probably. i think it's one of those things i'd like to do for myself but maybe i'm in need of some encouragement. maybe its even a kind of self harm??
You did this because of your anxiety. I pick at the skin around my finger nails and they often end up bleeding. I never saw it as self harm but my counsellor said it is. I try now to have a stress toy to hold to stop me from damaging my fingers. I guess that won't work for biting your mouth though. I don't know if having chewing gum would help? You can get Bach chewing gum on this site which would help you feel less anxious too.
i just had a look at that gum annie. maybe i could use that or one of the other bach products. maybe also i'll mention it to my counsellor again. i remember the first time she reacted with a really pained look on her face & asked me "does it bleed". i dont know if she was shocked or disgusted really. probably not the latter. i used to have a toy on my computer at work, just for decoration. maybe i'll take it back in & try using it as a focus, you never know it might help
We just have to try and distract ourselves from what has become a habit :)
Iced_diamond
25-10-12, 17:49
I do this as well and I wish I didn't. It's become a really bad habit, but somehow I can't help it. I find myself doing it when I'm just sitting around watching tv or something. I suffer from health anxiety as well, but never really thought that it could be connected, but perhaps it is. This really isn't a good thing to do. Not sure about the cancer thing, but it certainly isn't good to harm yourself deliberately...My boyfriend has started to telling me off every time he notices me doing it-that's helped me stop a bit. :) I would say, just try and stop yourself when you go to do it and think that it's pointless and won't do you any good. I try that as well with myself. Good luck to you! :D
I have done this for as long as i can remember. years ago the dentist made me an impression of my top teeth into a shield to wear to stop me. cost me £40.
Over the years my teeth have altered so it does not fit me now.
I hate myself for doing it.It is a habit, and i don't know whether it will develop into anything serious or not??????
yeah it's definitely a habit. the trouble is i seem to enjoy it, even though it's not exactly very good for me. Thought actually, i wonder am i enjoying it or does it give me satisfaction or relief in the same way that self harm does. i really do need to address it properly though as my skin is very sore today and i'm still nibbling away.
I am the same with picking the skin round my finger nails.. I think it gives me some sort of relief when I do it even though they get really sore and bleed. Have you tried chewing gum yet?
yeah i have but sometimes even when i'm chewing it, i then realise i've started to chew myself instead. it is a habit i need to work on. i have done it before. but i suppose (as for all of us - and the same for you with your fingers) it's the stress thing going on in the background. i do keep thinking as well that "once all this is over" (i.e. i feel better again) i'll stop then. but of course that's not happened yet so i still do it. eating my lunch now so that'll stop me for a bit!
I can judge my stress levels by how bad my fingers are!
i do this all the time i done it on sat i bite it till it bleed sometimes i bite my bottom lip or sometimes both but this time i been biteing the inside of my top lip its the anxiety but i used to smoke sometimes i would have a odd one but havent had one for 2 weeks also the crave of not smokeing can make u do that too and with my anxiety its made it bad so i know how u feel :hugs:
I have chewed the inside of my face so much that I also have to wear a mouth guard when I am just sitting around the house. It has damaged my jaw muscles and now I can only open my mouth 3cm! It should be able to open 5cm so pretty significant loss of motion.
Try to properly relax, focus on relaxing each muscle in your body in turn and imagine it being weightless. You can do this with the muscles above your shoulders even when sitting at your desk or at work, it has helped me focus on not chewing my cheeks and lips!
i'm gonna hvae to master this relaxation thing. perhaps try to do it each time i realise i'm about to "bite". i suppose it's identifying what you are about to do - before you do it. i realise today i'm just doing it without even thinking. STOP!!!!
So am I , getting some chewing gum tomorrow.
When I am out of the house, or busy in the house I don't do it.
Sitting here typing I am doing it. STOP IT:shrug:
Still doing it Magic, wot about u? I have been trying not to but it's so automatic half the time & tho I dont like to admit it, its kind of soothing
I do it but only in my sleep.my dentist says that apart from grinding my teeth I suck the inside cheeks of my mouth and therefore I get a lot of loose skin within the mouth and aching jaws .There is a latin name for this.It is not dangerous and as stated above a mouth shield is the answer if you can get used to it.
xhyperyogix
11-11-12, 19:36
ive chewed my inside cheek for as long as i can remember. i never saw it as a problem unless people see me doing it adn it looks odd like i'm making funny faces or have toothache!!! been doing it all day everyday! my dentitst gave me a mouth guard too but that really made the insomnia worse so i never wore it! its so odd i never ever thought of it as anxiety related! xx
camperlady
12-11-12, 22:54
i also do this n make my mouth really sore, i also, n this is vile, pull the dead skin off my feet untill they are sore n bleed like my mouth, i never looked upon this as a form off self harm till i read these posts but i suppose the pain could be a release, my boyfriend also gets mad with me n taps my hand when i,m doing this to my feet because the next day it hurts to walk on them but i like doing it, i feel like a werdo tho, anyone else have this disgusting habit??? :blush:
dottielottie
12-11-12, 23:56
When I am stressed I bite my bottom lip till it bleeds, it distracts me somehow xx
luckily I dont pull the dead skin off my feet; your poor feet they really must hurt! I know my mouth is really sore sometimes & does bleed. Why do we do these things to ourselves! I used to bite my nails til they bled but managed to stop that a few years ago. Just as well as I'd now be paranoid about germs if I still did it. I do bite the skin round my nails but have to make sure they are scrubbed clean first. It's just habit i suppose but getting out of that habit!!!!
charlenema - i'm really glad that the post has been helpful.... it's probably an example of some good coming out of bad, i.e. a bad habit has highlighted something helpful to you. It's so easy to fear the worst but its good that you have been reassured
charlenemac,
it's amazing where anxiety hits one, as it doesn't go away even when one is asleep. my dentist told me it is quite common.
charlenemac,
it's amazing where anxiety hits one, as it doesn't go away even when one is asleep. my dentist told me it is quite common.
i hate to admit it, but i'm still doing this but i am trying to be more aware & resist temptation. even if i dont manage to stop myself, i have managed to odd morning or afternoon where i've stopped myself. that has to be something.
i realise i dont chew my mouth when i'm asleep but i am now certain i grind my teeth. i keep finding myself waking up with my teeth clenched. at the point i wake, i know i wasnt thinking about it so clearly i do it when asleep too (i know i grind my teeth when angry or upset and awake).
Tessar, I cannot stop, tryed chewing gum,gave me wind.I don't know what to do about it, my gums are so sore. My late sister used to get annoyed with me and
said--you could not chew your gums if you had no teeth-- so get your teeth pulled out!!!!!!!!:shrug:
I do it all the time haha I was doing it as I was reading the post without realising aswell as bitting my nails and the skin around it
frenchhorn92
09-01-13, 20:16
Hi, I know the feeling! I've done it pretty much all my to the extent my lips have been so swollen people have thought my mouth was deformed. I self harm as well as chewing, but never thought of the chewing as self harm. It's just a comforting thing when feeling nervous. I would have thought it was only self harm if it was done on purpose to hurt yourself rather than a habit? (don't quote me on that!). Hope you find something to help with it :)
well, having managed to break a new filling last week (because of gritting my teeth when I'm angry) I decided it really was time to address that issue along with this biting my mouth thing. At the point I went back to the dentist on Friday I had raw bits in my mouth and a self-inflicted ulcer under my bottom lip. That was really sore & I realised I needed to sort this. I suppose its like a form of self harm really. Such a bad habit.
So, not wanting to damage my new filling I have been concentrating really, really hard not not clenching my teeth. Pretty much every time I wake in the night they are together, grinding. So I stop that as soon as I notice.
In the day time I am being mindful of what I'm doing with my teeth and making sure I relax my jaw.
I must have caught myself literally hundreds of times about to start biting again. I havent succeded yet in stopping biting completely. Sometimes the urge is just too strong & though I dont want to I seem powerless to stop myself. Like theres an argument going on in my mind.
I am doing much better on this though as I dont have any sore bits now inside my mouth. I have laid off crunching my teeth together & my filling seems to be calming down. Bearing in mind it's been sore for months & I had a root canal filling on it not long ago I know it needs time to settle. So not biting hard will certainly help.
Mind you, all this self control is hard work I have to say. Its a major source of calming myself down usually, nibbling away so I will just have to find other ways of remaining calm under pressure.
Confused&scared
05-03-13, 16:05
I chew the skin around my fingernails and also all the way down one side of each index finger, when I'm very stressed I will do it so much that they bleed. I've done it from being about 8 years old.
I used to bit my nails til they bled but a few years ago i had trouble with my teeth which meant i couldnt bit my nails. that did stop the habit. trouble is after that the mouth biting thing got worse! i haavent been so good today and am trying very hard not to do it.
Still doing my best not to do this.
Also I have been trying to spot when I'm clenching my teeth. I seem to do it all the time without realising. I wake up & find I'm doing it. No wonder my poor filling fell out. :-(
I do it all the time and gring my teeth and clench my jaw all day long
After some success with this, I seem to have gone back to chewing again. I do keep trying to stop myself but with limited success. It's a habit I really wish I could break.
Reading this was so strange to me. I am new to all this and have only just been diagnosed with panic disorder. Came as a bit of a shock to me cos i have always thought of myself as pretty cruisey. But I have been chewing the inside of my mouth for my entire life. Started when i was a kid. My Mother used to do it when i was younger but managed to kick the habit and i have a daughter who does it too. So am I to understand that this has been a symptom of anxiety all along?:wacko:
hi mumof6, i do wonder if it is all stress/anxiety related. a few weeks ago i managed to stop. but since then as i've been working on changing some of my lifelong negative thought patterns, i have started doing it again.
i suppose i had assumed i was on the only person who did it till i looked it up online. funny that it runs in your family.
it worries me actually because of what it might do to my mouth in the long term but not eve that worry seems to stop me.
as a child i bit my fingernails really badly
when i stopped that in my late 20's, this mouth biting thing got worse.
i wish i could stop!!
I have stopped chewing. I set a target before I went on holidays the end of September that I'd do everything I could before I went away to stop. Mostly trying to do something different as soon as I realised I was chewing. Also I tried to be aware any time I was in a situation likely to make me do it. Had a tooth out last week which meant there was no way I was going to bite anyway. Haven't done it either deliberately or accidentally in over a week. I want to keep this up.
Well done Tessar :yahoo::yahoo: I hope I can follow your example and stop picking my poor fingers.
YES you can Annie, DO IT. If you realise you are doing it, you need something to hand that you can fiddle with, then that can become what you pick at instead. I know, a stress ball!!!! Oops I just bit the skin on my thumb. Must be coz I was thinking about finger picking! Bad bad tessar.
Tilly Flop
21-10-13, 09:04
I can judge my stress levels by how bad my fingers are!
Me too. :blush:
Amazing. I still am not doing this. Have had a couple of near escapes when tempted but have managed not to.
:emot-fail: I am still picking the skin on my fingers.
I nearly gave in earlier :oopsie::oopsie: its harder if I have any bits on
my cheek as they attract my attention. But luckily I resisted.
Resist Annie, Resist!!! or I will send out my hit squad......
:curse: :bansign: :eek: :redcard: :curse: :bansign: :eek: :redcard: :curse: :bansign: :eek: :redcard: :curse:
:curse: :bansign: :eek: :redcard: :curse: :bansign: :eek: :redcard: :curse: :bansign: :eek: :redcard: :curse:
Maybe when my kitchen is finished I will try again :)
Hi there. I'm reading this and running my tongue across a sore area on the inside of my left cheek. Years ago my dentist noticed and said I shouldn't do it, but I have done so on and off for years. I never really recognized it as self harm, just something I do absentmindedly, or nervously. :doh:
It isn't easy to stop, and I think that if you can distract yourself when you do notice you're doing it, that's a really good place to start. I've been avoiding the temptation to bite, which isn't easy. Sometimes I place my tongue forward against my front teeth, which makes it awkward to say the least. That avoids the unconscious biting, and also the clenching of my teeth. :)
Thanks for posting. It's always good to know I'm not alone!
had alot of stress the last couple of weeks; a couple of times i neasrly started this again but after a few nibbles i nipped it in the bud. phew. close call.
Hmmmmm struggling to stop myself doing this....
Only if u promise not to pick your fingers!!!!!!
I haven't been doing it so much lately (just a little bit on my thumb) :D
i have had the odd mouth nibble but nothing like i was before. i have been mindful of you telling me to stop it as well, annie. sooooooo naughty annie, have you picked your thumb? if you have then you STOP IT coz i said so!!!
I haven't touched them :)
Bad day, just had a large nibble, sorrrryyy..... I will try not to do it again,......
I do it all the time--nibble nibble Tessar. I don't pick my fingers though.
I do give my husband a telling off for picking his fingers-- nervous habits:shrug:
My little finger is suffering today :(
oh magic/annie what are we like between us? leave that poor little finger alone!!!!!!
I am trying hard not to much. don't want to. I suppose i'll have to do what I did before & just try to limit how much I do it and then hopefully it'll slow down & I stop again.
When ever I would see my kids or anyone picking (even when I do it) anything on their bods, this came to mind.
So when you feel like picking, watch this... :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_LP5sBdyyI
Positive thoughts
that is quite funny...... I am smiling now.....
I'm with you all on this one - I've been giving my poor thumb a hard time without even realising it. Horrible habit..
Pip
That was funny Fishmanpa :D
Pipkin do you just do it to your thumb or all your fingers? My friend has a really sore thumb from picking it but I tend to change fingers :) One of the counsellors I saw a few years ago said that it was self harm which I had never looked at it like that, to me it is just a nervous habit.
Good one. Now --if I had a chicken to pick at I would have to eat the lot all at once:noangel:xxxxxxxxx
Like I said, that "Pick, pick, pick" song runs through my head whenever I see someone picking on themselves and even when I pick something on myself. It's silly but I end up with that silly song running through my mind and laughing to myself ~lol~
How about this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmkAnxDyZlM
~LOL~ Good One! Kinda creepy too!
Positive thoughts
That was funny Fishmanpa :D
Pipkin do you just do it to your thumb or all your fingers? My friend has a really sore thumb from picking it but I tend to change fingers :) One of the counsellors I saw a few years ago said that it was self harm which I had never looked at it like that, to me it is just a nervous habit.
Annie - no, it's just my thumb. It started around the nail and then spread. Like everyone else, I find it strangely satisfying and it definitely gets worse when I'm more anxious. Whether it's actually self-harm, I couldn't say. I've certainly never done any other sorts of self-harm like cutting.
Pip
I am the same but I do it on my thumbs and fingers :( Really trying hard to stop.
I am half winning this battle. A mixture if spells when I am not dong it, mixed with time is realise but too late and have nibbled. At least I am trying to stop myself that is bette than totally giving in. Chewing gum is my friend.
I must be one of the few people who has never chewed gum...I tried once and didn't like it.
I go thro loads of it. Used 2bite my nails really badly........
Doing a bit better the last few days but still having nibbles here & there.
Hmnn had rather a ad relapse on the chewing front, gotta stop it, but at the moment am unable to do that. Doh.
I am doing good with my fingers :)
I feel bad now ...... Is it that only one of us is allowed to stop doing these naughty things?
oh no I picked them today! We went to another town shopping and we went in Sainsburys there. It is about a year since we last went to that one. As I walked in I remembered that I had a panic attack last time I was in there. I felt sick straight away but managed to tell myself not to be stupid that was a year ago and I am fine now. I managed okay but started picking my thumb and by the time I got home it was bleeding. I haven't done it any more since we got home though.
I find toothache is ampn effective way of stopping me doing this but is not a solution I would recommend
:weep: :lac: :weep: :lac: :weep: :lac: :weep: :lac: :weep: :lac: :weep: :lac: :weep: :lac: :weep: :lac: :weep: :lac: :weep: :lac: :weep: :lac: :weep: :lac: :weep: :lac:
Oh Dear That isn't good :( I hope the pain goes soon. If it is really bad tomorrow still maybe you should call the dentist?
I do the exact same thing. I also drink alcohol regularly and am constantly worried that it'll increase my chances of getting mouth cancer.
I had a filling! Won't go into detail. But the pain is easing every day. There a bit of a sort of deep ache there still but when u think it got really bad, as the dentist said it'll take a few days to settle. Far better than how it was.
I am going to try really hard not to chew my mouth now. Use this as a break from it. I couldn't right now. Jonas, I know what you mean!!!
Still doing it..... Not good.
Really need to stop.
Anyone got a "one liner" I can recite to myself when I am about to chew?
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