Wow, okay, so its not just me then! I do this too, and have for as long as I can remember. Its definitely compulsive, sometimes more than other times, I find it calming and almost hypnotic as strange as that sounds. I have quit at times for months without noticing, but then suddenly something will get me started and I will have bitten my lips to shreds, literally. Its painful, and its also unsettling. And I just read about the oral cancer link and am a bit rattled by that honestly. I'm curious if anyone here has sought medical advice, and if so, what has been the outcome? I also (unconsciously) grind my teeth quite badly....I wonder if these things are related. Thanks!
I am 52 years old and stopped once for quit a few years. I can't tell you what made me quit then or what made me start again >:( but I can tell you I finally found something to "GUARD" yourself from it that you can make yourself! :-D
RUN, DON'T WALK TO YOUR NEAREST CRAFT/HOBBY STORE (I found this at Hobby Lobby) AND BUY A "GLUE GUN PAD." MINE CAME ON A CARDBOARD WHICH HUNG ON A PEG.
IT IS A VERY THIN CELLO MATERIAL THAT IS INTENDED TO LAY YOUR GLUE GUN ON SO GLUE WON'T MAKE A MESS ON YOUR SURFACES.
STAY WITH ME....
CUT ONE OR TWO SMALL SQUARES FROM THIS. I'VE TRIED MANY SIZES BUT 1 1/2 BY 1 1/4 INCHES WORKS BEST. THEN ROUND EACH CORNER A BIT; AVOID CUTTING IT INTO A CIRCLE IN THE PROCESS.
PLACE IT BETWEEN CHEEK AND TEETH IN EACH OR ONE SIDE WITH THE LONGER LENGTH UP AND DOWN.
GETTING THE PICTURE ON HOW THIS HELPS?
I HAVE FOUND THAT EVEN PLACING JUST ONE IN ON THE SIDE YOU ARE CHEWING ON THE MOST SEEMS TO BE ENOUGH.
Here's the catch however, YOU MUST FORCE YOURSELF TO PUT IT IN! We must look at this as an addiction like any other. When an alcoholic finds themselves in a situation that they foresee themselves leaning toward wanting a drink, they don't AUTOMATICALLY route themselves away from the path of a liquor store. They must be VERY conscious of the pending problem and FORCE themselves away from it or BETTER STILL ask someone to help them be aware.
In short, you know the times that may trigger this; watching TV, driving alone, stress etc. so put it in BEFORE beginning the nibbling because, trust me, for some bazaar reason it creates a subcoucious comfort that, once started, you won't stop even though it is in your hand!
I place mine in a breath-mint "TIN" and keep it in my pocket.
I REALLY HOPE YOU TRY THIS AND TELL ME IF IT WORKS FOR YOU TOO.
RUN, DON'T WALK TO YOUR NEAREST CRAFT/HOBBY STORE (I found this at Hobby Lobby) AND BUY A "GLUE GUN PAD." MINE CAME ON A CARDBOARD WHICH HUNG ON A PEG.
IT IS A VERY THIN CELLO MATERIAL THAT IS INTENDED TO LAY YOUR GLUE GUN ON SO GLUE WON'T MAKE A MESS ON YOUR SURFACES.
STAY WITH ME....
CUT ONE OR TWO SMALL SQUARES FROM THIS. I'VE TRIED MANY SIZES BUT 1 1/2 BY 1 1/4 INCHES WORKS BEST. THEN ROUND EACH CORNER A BIT; AVOID CUTTING IT INTO A CIRCLE IN THE PROCESS.
PLACE IT BETWEEN CHEEK AND TEETH IN EACH OR ONE SIDE WITH THE LONGER LENGTH UP AND DOWN.
GETTING THE PICTURE ON HOW THIS HELPS?
I HAVE FOUND THAT EVEN PLACING JUST ONE IN ON THE SIDE YOU ARE CHEWING ON THE MOST SEEMS TO BE ENOUGH.
Here's the catch however, YOU MUST FORCE YOURSELF TO PUT IT IN! We must look at this as an addiction like any other. When an alcoholic finds themselves in a situation that they foresee themselves leaning toward wanting a drink, they don't AUTOMATICALLY route themselves away from the path of a liquor store. They must be VERY conscious of the pending problem and FORCE themselves away from it or BETTER STILL ask someone to help them be aware.
In short, you know the times that may trigger this; watching TV, driving alone, stress etc. so put it in BEFORE beginning the nibbling because, trust me, for some bazaar reason it creates a subcoucious comfort that, once started, you won't stop even though it is in your hand!
I place mine in a breath-mint "TIN" and keep it in my pocket.
I REALLY HOPE YOU TRY THIS AND TELL ME IF IT WORKS FOR YOU TOO.
I'm extremely glad I found this forum. I now know that I am not the only one who suffers from chewing my lip and cheeks. I was looking up ways to stop it because it has been on my mind for quite some time, because I feel like people will stare at my lips when I talk and wonder "What is that white stuff on the inside of his lips?" instead of listening to what I'm talking about.
I found that "cheek- or lip-bite keratosis" is what it is commonly known as through Google searching. I'm like continuously trying to "smooth" the inner cheeks and inner lips because they get rough and build up a white layer. I'm guessing it is the skin trying to rebuild itself, but then the bad habit kicks in without me knowing it and I'm trying to smooth it out again. Sometimes I use my fingernail on the inside of my cheeks to try and scrape away the white stuff to make it smooth, but that just takes me back to square one with the bad habit. The cycle just never ends....
I used to bite my cheek just a little bit in like middle school I think, but then I stopped for many, many years. I'm now 27 and have just graduated college. I noticed the problem REALLY got crazy when I was 25 years old and I stopped smoking cigarettes. Smoking reduced my stress so I'm assuming that since I stopped smoking, my mind and body were trying to find other ways to deal with stress... by biting my cheek and lips. It was also a tough time because I was dealing with Junior and Senior year of college... lots of deadlines and projects in a constant high-stress environment. I've been out of college for a year now, but with the recession and student loans, the stress is out of the roof. I almost considered smoking cigarettes again to see if that would help me stop biting. But I don't want to fall back to that after being smoke-free for 2+ years now. I didn't want to be THAT desperate to end the biting! lol
I also can relate to the one person who said the surface of their tooth wasn't straight anymore. My front tooth, the left side one is not straight anymore... its a bit worn down and I KNOW that it has to do with the past 2 years of lip biting. I feel really embarrased by it and very self-conscious.
But like I said, I'm really glad I found this forum and I feel a lot better now know others out there are going through the same thing. I guess there's no cure-all for this except changing our habits, mentally forcing ourselves to stop biting, and chewing gum. I'm going to try and find my old Invisa-line retainers from high school, the clear ones that go over your teeth. I'll post back in a few weeks and let ya'll know if that really helped me stop biting my lips and cheeks. Good luck to everyone!!!
I found that "cheek- or lip-bite keratosis" is what it is commonly known as through Google searching. I'm like continuously trying to "smooth" the inner cheeks and inner lips because they get rough and build up a white layer. I'm guessing it is the skin trying to rebuild itself, but then the bad habit kicks in without me knowing it and I'm trying to smooth it out again. Sometimes I use my fingernail on the inside of my cheeks to try and scrape away the white stuff to make it smooth, but that just takes me back to square one with the bad habit. The cycle just never ends....
I used to bite my cheek just a little bit in like middle school I think, but then I stopped for many, many years. I'm now 27 and have just graduated college. I noticed the problem REALLY got crazy when I was 25 years old and I stopped smoking cigarettes. Smoking reduced my stress so I'm assuming that since I stopped smoking, my mind and body were trying to find other ways to deal with stress... by biting my cheek and lips. It was also a tough time because I was dealing with Junior and Senior year of college... lots of deadlines and projects in a constant high-stress environment. I've been out of college for a year now, but with the recession and student loans, the stress is out of the roof. I almost considered smoking cigarettes again to see if that would help me stop biting. But I don't want to fall back to that after being smoke-free for 2+ years now. I didn't want to be THAT desperate to end the biting! lol
I also can relate to the one person who said the surface of their tooth wasn't straight anymore. My front tooth, the left side one is not straight anymore... its a bit worn down and I KNOW that it has to do with the past 2 years of lip biting. I feel really embarrased by it and very self-conscious.
But like I said, I'm really glad I found this forum and I feel a lot better now know others out there are going through the same thing. I guess there's no cure-all for this except changing our habits, mentally forcing ourselves to stop biting, and chewing gum. I'm going to try and find my old Invisa-line retainers from high school, the clear ones that go over your teeth. I'll post back in a few weeks and let ya'll know if that really helped me stop biting my lips and cheeks. Good luck to everyone!!!
HA! WOW! Me too. I've been doing it since i too was young, primary school. Ive been doing it since, im now 28! My sister is a dental nurse and she told me after she had been studying for years to become qualified, that i need to stop because it does cause cancer. Apparently it is common, as they did study on this during the course!
So i havent been able to stop. Like smoking...YES, you know its bad for you, it will cause cancer, but you just can't stop.
Well, ive been making a conscious effert to stop. Maybe saying today i will not bite all my cheeks and lips, i will only allow myself to have one side!! Just the top left hand cheek, or just the bottom lip!! And wake up and say, "I will not bite my cheeks today!"
I know it sounds stupid, but cut back, like smoking. And gum a deffinate yes, if you are contsantly chewing, there will be no time to bite.
So i havent been able to stop. Like smoking...YES, you know its bad for you, it will cause cancer, but you just can't stop.
Well, ive been making a conscious effert to stop. Maybe saying today i will not bite all my cheeks and lips, i will only allow myself to have one side!! Just the top left hand cheek, or just the bottom lip!! And wake up and say, "I will not bite my cheeks today!"
I know it sounds stupid, but cut back, like smoking. And gum a deffinate yes, if you are contsantly chewing, there will be no time to bite.
The person who said they got cleared up for a while after they went on antibiotics, it's true, antibiotics smoothed out my cheeks totally and now I have no more urge *(been about 1 month so far smooth) to bite them any more!! I had an infected sore on my arm which required antibiotics. They were Bactrim antibiotics. So maybe that's the cure!
omg....i have the same problem
like its really really bad......i need to stop
like its really really bad......i need to stop
So weird to see everyone's comments as this has been a problem of mine for years. And like many of you, sometimes I just stop without even trying, which delights me. But then I end up going back to it. Since I heard about the oral cancer link, I've been trying to hard to stop, but haven't had much luck. Every few days, I seem to get lured into thinking that I'll just bit this one little part and then I go back. I am not an addictive type of person, but this is a long time habit that I can't seem to break. Was wondering if hypnosis might work. I try saying, "ORAL CANCER" to myself every time I start doing it, but it doesn't always work. Another thing to try (which sometimes works for me) is to watch the way you look while biting yourself in the mirror. It's really, really ugly and unattractive. When I see this, I decide that I don't want anyone to see me looking like that and it helps me stop doing it around other people.
Just some information for all you cheek-biters out there (yes, I am one too) ...
Cheek biting belongs to a unique family of Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs) with skin-picking, and nail biting. The most consistently empirically-supported treatment for it is Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT). This form of therapy should be provided by a psychologist with expertise in treating the behavior and involves identifying "triggers" to biting behavior as well as ways in which to interrupt the pattern of behavior and redirect the response to biting "triggers." Some individuals have benefitted from medication as well. Many individuals find participating in support groups and having contact with others who share other BFRBs very helpful.
I hope this sheds some light on it for you! (PS - I am a nail-biter as well)
Cheek biting belongs to a unique family of Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs) with skin-picking, and nail biting. The most consistently empirically-supported treatment for it is Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT). This form of therapy should be provided by a psychologist with expertise in treating the behavior and involves identifying "triggers" to biting behavior as well as ways in which to interrupt the pattern of behavior and redirect the response to biting "triggers." Some individuals have benefitted from medication as well. Many individuals find participating in support groups and having contact with others who share other BFRBs very helpful.
I hope this sheds some light on it for you! (PS - I am a nail-biter as well)
I have been biting my cheeks for years too. I am trying to stop though. The only thing that works for me is substitution. Ex. when I start biting my cheek... I pop in a piece of gum, eat something low-cal like carrot sticks, or drink something.
I have had the same problem my whole life. I had read on this site that it can lead to oral cancer, so I asked a plastic surgeon/dermatologist I went to about an abnormal mole about it, and he said it wouldn't cause cancer. I have, however, stopped biting for the past three days. I am trying to quit, and I have found that chewing gum really, really helps. Also, can anyone comment on how the inside of the mouth is supposed to feel to the touch. Is it supposed to have little ball like things underneath the skin when the skin is completely smooth, or is that a result of the biting?
go see your dentist or better yet an orthodontist and ask about "buccal shield" if you can't stop biting your cheeks.
i have had this same problem ever since i was little..i chew on my lips all the time.. n now i bite the inside of d cheeks until it bleeds,n the wounds burn every time i eat,i have a feeling my lips are changing color due to chewing,its no more pink, and i have noticed myself chewing my lips n cheek when i am in deep thought or tensed,while studying for my exams like all u guys..and every time my mom notices me biting my lips or my cheeks i get a whack on ma hand :-P..i want a solution..will going to a doctor help? iv been chewing gum to stop this habit,but it doesnt work really
i have the same prob. too!! i thought i was the only one too. my husband will say quit chewing on your mouth! i get scared thinkiing im causing cancer cause i googled...you know where that gets you!! im also addicted to mary jane. 8 days sober adn can i tell you have i been chewing the heck out of my mouth. i started doing it really bad about two years ago. when i got prego. i dont know if i have the same thing though. its feels like rough patches on the side of my cheeks and my lower lip. and i cheew the hell out of it. it gets better than goes away i duno. is it the same of do i have that cancer c**p i googeled
I do this ALL THE TIME. I'm 26 now, and I probably started in middle school. It's gotten pretty bad, too. I'm convinced I want to stop but the urge overpowers my will. I've started to have my husband call me out when I do it, but I'm doing it again within minutes of him telling me to stop. I now do it when people aren't around...driving, in the shower...and I tell myself to stop while I do it. I feel like an addict of sorts since I try to sneak it behind people's backs! I slightly clench my teeth when I sleep, and when I wake up my teeth have made numerous depressions in my mouth. I get a joy out of chewing it all off in the morning or scraping it off with my nails. What's odd is that I think I'm fixing it by trying to make it smooth, but it never gets smooth!
I feel like I have an inner-restlessness or psychomotor agitation/hyperactivity. If I'm not biting at my cheeks and lips, I'm feeling for blemishes on my skin, scratching my scalp, or tugging at my cuticles around my finger/toe nails. I've almost convinced myself I'm a crazy person! I'm certain I look retarded with my lips all crossed over on my face while I try to tug at loose skin in the back of my mouth, or even using my fingers to push my cheeks closer to my teeth, but the satisfaction of tearing off a minuscule piece of skin always wins.
Chewing gum doesn't work for me. I use it as a prop for people to THINK I'm chewing gum, but I'm actually chewing my face. I hear attempting to leave the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth or behind your front teeth helps, but it's created a busted taste bud.
I'd hate for the only way to quit to be taking prescription medications. I sometimes partake in the mary jane, and I'm afraid that smoking and cheek biting is going to cause cancer. I'd hate to get cancer for something this stupid.
-andro
I feel like I have an inner-restlessness or psychomotor agitation/hyperactivity. If I'm not biting at my cheeks and lips, I'm feeling for blemishes on my skin, scratching my scalp, or tugging at my cuticles around my finger/toe nails. I've almost convinced myself I'm a crazy person! I'm certain I look retarded with my lips all crossed over on my face while I try to tug at loose skin in the back of my mouth, or even using my fingers to push my cheeks closer to my teeth, but the satisfaction of tearing off a minuscule piece of skin always wins.
Chewing gum doesn't work for me. I use it as a prop for people to THINK I'm chewing gum, but I'm actually chewing my face. I hear attempting to leave the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth or behind your front teeth helps, but it's created a busted taste bud.
I'd hate for the only way to quit to be taking prescription medications. I sometimes partake in the mary jane, and I'm afraid that smoking and cheek biting is going to cause cancer. I'd hate to get cancer for something this stupid.
-andro
i just found this forum and im so glad im not alone with this problem i try so hard to stop but then i just do it again without realizing it and i hate this habit ive been doing it for a long time and my husband hates it! i talked to my dentist and he is going to make a night guard for my teeth thats usually used for people who grind their teeth at night but i cant think of anythng else that could help me stop. so, im going to wear the night guard every time i start biting and HOPEFULLY this will work. i want to stop so bad but its impossible!!! if anyone has a better idea please share!!! : :'(