There are a few ways of temporarily stopping like booking an appointment at the dentist - the embarrassment of them seeing the damage is enough to stop long enough for things to heal, I had braces for many years and the discomfort of that stopped the biting for many years. Clean your teeth as soon as you find yourself biting, or have a hot cup of tea.
As for the reason why we do it - I'm not convinced it is to do with anxiety or stress. Yes it starts with the compulsion to make everything smooth, but as soon as I bite I get a rush of some kind of natural pain relief or something - so much that the biting doesn't really hurt any more and almost feels good
I know this was posted over a year ago but I'm in desperate need of a reply back. I suffer from the same thing. I started when I was about three or four years old. Im 16 now and I can't stop. I'll pick and bite at my lips when im in deep concentration or in a stressful situation. then when they are rough and not even ill bite and pick more to try and make my lips feel smooth again. of course when raw it feels smooth until about an hour later and im in awful pain i also do the same thing to the inside of my cheek (no picking just biting). i have to stop. i really really want to. i just have no idea where to even begin! were you ever able to overcome your lipbiting addiction? how? please i need help.
I do the same... try chewing gum. Simple, but it does work.
Do you feel when you've been biting a lot like your cheeks itch? It drives me crazy.
Do you feel when you've been biting a lot like your cheeks itch? It drives me crazy.
ive been bitting my cheeks for as long as like...forever!! its seriously gotten so bad that i got bruises around my cheecks and upper lip, if anyone can find a way to cure this addiction i need to know soon.....i cant live my life with big ugly bruises on my face because i seriously cant help it, and the worst thing is, my mom doesnt understand and thinks i can stop if i want to, but i cant...
OCD is what my doctor said it was and gave me prozac. I stopped the behavior. Didn't like the prozac and stopped taking the medication. The behavior came back.
I've been doing this so long I don't remember when I started. But for me I don't think it's because of the skin. If I feel skin coming back on my cheeks, I'll bite it off. The bleeding doesn't really effect me.... But it's weird and I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one in the world that does this
hi guys, I'm in the boat with you all. But I can go months without biting my lips and pick up the bad habit a gain. But the mind is a powerful thing. Don't let this overcome you. I've studied myself when I do this and I've learned one can stop if you put yourself to it.
Here are a few tips that help me:
-I've noticed that by brushing your teeth and then using mouthwash right after, the minty vibe freshens your mouth and sooths out the wall of the inside of your mouth.
-Chew gum. It helps stop the biting for a while which then helps the inside of your inner cheek walls to get smooth.
-When driving, tell yourself I will not do this until I get to my destination. By the time you get to your destination, you've forgotten.
-Or when driving, turn on the radio and sing to the songs you like.
-Take a moment to relax deep but bring your bottom lip over your top lip for a little while.
-Read a book you like but not in silence. Read it loud enough for yourself.
-Drink cold liquids with a straw slowly. Sips here and there.
-When doing this, tap your face with both hands to remind yourself to stop and it's BAD. Basically, scolding yourself.
All these have helped me to stop until months later I pick up the habit again. It is caused by anxiety.
It feels good to know im not alone, although nobody had found the solution. I feel horrible when i realize and my mouth is sore. The mouth wash help me too. Sometimes I feel so much the need that I do it even with gum in my mouth. This is horrible, if anyone had found the solution or at least some advise please let us know
Guest wrote:
grrrrrr!!!
I finally got to looking it up online, just to see what others have to say!! Im right there with ya, i cant help it but to just instantly get irritated and sometimes even "mock him"...I KNOW that irritates him, Im starting to not be able to help myself, almost as he "cant help himself chewing his freakn mouth away! Finally asked him "Would you like a piece of Gum"??
daydreamjen wrote:
oh my god i do the exact same thing! i try not to cuz i'm scared that eventually i'll end up with a hole in my cheek lol, but i just cant stop doing it! I suffer from anxiety but stupidly never put two and two together. Sorry I havent got any advice but good to know there's other people out there like me!
I couldnt believe it when i read your comment, my partner has the exact same thing and does the exact same things with his lips.. I know its terrible but i do find it so frustrating by times as i can see from the corner of my eye.. badly need help for him.. is hypnosis the only way? I no me commenting on it is probably making it worse, but I am not sure how else to help him..
grrrrrr!!!
I finally got to looking it up online, just to see what others have to say!! Im right there with ya, i cant help it but to just instantly get irritated and sometimes even "mock him"...I KNOW that irritates him, Im starting to not be able to help myself, almost as he "cant help himself chewing his freakn mouth away! Finally asked him "Would you like a piece of Gum"??
So just like all of you I too have the same problem. I have realized that it is stress/ anxiety related. I told myself that i was going to stop doing it as part of my new years resolution, and well I did stop for about a month, and then one day out of the blue I started doing it again. I did however find it SOO helpful to chew gum. If i felt i started to get anxious, I'd just chew on a piece of gum. This is what helped me stop doing it to begin with. It is something that you sometimes subconsciously do, but if you find yourself trying to do this, stop yourself, and chew gum, haha. I know it sounds dumb, but hey whatever works.
HI as well have this problem. I have been doin it ever since i can remember. What i have been trying to do is sort of "trap" my tongue in my teeth so that it cant wander, because like all of you said, it all starts with the tongue finding rough spots with the incessant need to fix them or make them smoother. It is very disappointing since i also am a habitual cigarette smoker. And i notice that when i am smoking a cigarette i have a tendency to bite my cheeks at the same time. I also bit my tongue. All down the sides and sometimes on the top. I cant remember what my cheeks and tongue are supposed to feel like anymore. I have no idea what to do to stop. I have been trying to stop for at least the last 2 years constantly, with no luck. I think that I am now more conscious of what i am doing and stop myself after i start, but i can only stop myself for so long. I have children who are noticing this now and i caught my 4 year old daughter pressing her finger to her cheek and pretending to do what mommy does. I dont want to pass my bad habits on to my children. I have recently began cutting down my cigarette intake because i am starting my quit cycle. I want to do everything i can to be here for my children for as long as i can, and i know that with this habit, there is a good chance of oral cancer, and with the nicotiene that i am ingesting it is only worse for myself.
Thank you, this is awesome suggestion. I went all the way to wearing night guards to keep me from biting my lips but they are very bulky, uncomfortable and tiring to wear. I will for sure give this a try.
Every time my husband or mother says "quit biting your lips!" I get so mad at them! Haha! I say I'm not done yet, all the dead skin isn't off yet, ha!! I notice I am a leg/foot shaker/figiter too. When my foot isn't bouncing or leg isn't shaking, I am biting my lip skin. I found that I do it much less when I apply Burt's Bees medicated lip balm. I still do it, but not as much.
@thechristinenorth
If only I thought about this when I was 16. I've been biting lips and cheeks since I remember myself. It happens when I am concentrating on something, when my mind is busy thinking about things. Any roughness or unevenness needs to be bitten off. I wish I could stop. Lip balm or vaseline partially works for lips though this bad habit lives very deep in subconscious and half a hour later I suddenly find myself biting it again.
If only I thought about this when I was 16. I've been biting lips and cheeks since I remember myself. It happens when I am concentrating on something, when my mind is busy thinking about things. Any roughness or unevenness needs to be bitten off. I wish I could stop. Lip balm or vaseline partially works for lips though this bad habit lives very deep in subconscious and half a hour later I suddenly find myself biting it again.
I've bitten and picked at my lips to the point of bleeding ever since I was six or seven, particularly when they're dry (ie in the winter) and also occasionally bit my cheeks. I usually only do it in bed when I'm half asleep. A couple of years ago my dentist told me that I grind my teeth and i started wearing dental guards (you can buy them at drug stores for about $30 or $40, - it's a soft plastic that you boil in water and then place over your teeth so they get moulded to them and then you can just keep it in a container and pop it in. Some of the more recent varieties are very thin and inobtrusive. I find that this has completely eliminating cheek and lip biting. I still pick at my lips occasionally but since I would start with my teeth and then use my nails to pick the problem has been almost completely eliminated.
I don't have this problem during the day but I think it would be an idea to use the mouth guard during the day when you tend to show biting behaviour - eg when you're working alone at a computer or watching TV or whatever trigger it might be. It both physically prevents you from being able to bite and provides an oral sensation that might also help psychologically.
I don't have this problem during the day but I think it would be an idea to use the mouth guard during the day when you tend to show biting behaviour - eg when you're working alone at a computer or watching TV or whatever trigger it might be. It both physically prevents you from being able to bite and provides an oral sensation that might also help psychologically.