Cheek biting (might trigger)

[Hypo]

I have bite marks in my tongue from biting it in my sleep (confirmed by ENT) and I also bite the hell out of my cheek during the night. Every morning I have little bite sore marks.

I have a guard but it makes me gag so I always wake up wanting to be sick and take it out when I am half asleep.

I read someone say that it can cause cancer? :(

[nomorepanic]

Never heard of it causing cancer

I have started cheek biting recently and it is really annoying

[Tessar]

Hypo, I have just about managed to kick this habit. I have done this since I can ever remember, so u r talking many decades. Though I hate to admit it, I would bite them raw, I mean make them bleed regularly. Over the years the cancer thing has worried me. I know alot of people do this...probably some dont mean it or like you, it's not on purpose. There are others Like me doing it quite consciously and on purpose. It is a habit I formed along with nail biting. I quit doing that but then the mouth thing got worse. Over the ears i have tried everything to stop. Then recently, I made the most conscious effort ever to stop. Deciding I simply had to this time. Every time I realised I was biting or about to bite, I stopped myself, instead I practiced breathing exercises. It took a couple of weeks or more but I have done it. At the moment I am not doing it.
At night, I believe I grind my teeth, luckily I don't bite.
I don't know what the answer is for you but what I can confirm is I asked my dentist outright, he did not ever think it was going to cause me problems regarding cancer.

---------- Post added at 22:02 ---------- Previous post was at 22:01 ----------

Nicola.... I'd suggest finding a way ASAP of stopping yourself. I have managed to stop a couple of times b4 but then been triggered by some stressful events. But this time I really do not want to go back to doing it again, I hope u can kick it.

[Magic]

I bite my cheeks, have done for a long while. I am due to go to the dentist next week for check up. MUST stop it.
I have a guard too hypo but makes me gag also.

[nomorepanic]

It only started recently. I found that I was sucking my cheeks in and then they were getting sore where they were rubbing on my teeth.

I sometimes don't realise I am doing it

[Pipkin]

I'm another culprit of this. It gets worse when I'm anxious and sometimes it gets ridiculously bad. It's really hard to stop and easy to start again. Must sort this out!

Pip x

[Tessar]

dont forget...... if you do find yourself doing it, try to replace the behaviour with something more productive. I found focusing on my breathing helped alot. It is hard though, as I was the same - as in not realising til I'd done it..... that I was biting.....
I tried everything, such as telling myself it was gross.... (fail)..... even telling myself I was doing it becuase of "other people stressing me out".... failed!
In the end I had to do it for myself. Be disciplined. So far so good.

[Hypo]

For me it isn't a habit, I just can't help it.

I think I am clenching my jaw a lot. The back of my tongue is sore today where I assume I keep biting on it.

My teeth and jaw aren't properly aligned. I have this skin tag thing on my tongue, the ENT said it was from biting but I still wonder if it is cancer.