How Do I Stop This Bad Habit?

My dentist recommended changing the brand of my toothpaste to Sensodyne. It seems some other major brands contain irritating substances that increase the chances of this behavior. It worked! Good luck.

I suggest that the more you try to stop the more you'll do it. I'd try ignoring the whole situation. It really is OK to bite the inside of your cheek. It will not cause cancer. I had a bump on the inside of my cheek and the dentist said it was highly unlikely to be a problem. He looked at it and said it didn't look cancerous or precancerous. Doctors can tell a lot about bumps and lesions just by looking at them.

I stopped paying attention and I eventually stopped chewing on it.

My mother and my brother chewed their tongue as a comfort measure. Their tongues never got a bump or was hurt in any way. Chewing is not a problem if it doesn't cause pain.

OMG - I was just doing this when I opened your post! Good news for you: you're not alone.

I notice that I do this when I'm dehydrated or preoccupied. Make sure you're drinking plenty of water. At the first bite, realize what's going on and get yourself a tall glass.

...like I'm going to do right now. =)

I have bit the inside of my cheek, since I was a young kid. Guessing it's an anxiety issue, I have. My dentist is aware of my problem & has never mentioned a cancer link . Sorry, no tips , on how to stop. I don't even notice , myself doing it.

I think it may help to find a different fiddle. Perhaps you could carry around a bead to spin, or a piece of gum, or something that you can be distracted and pick at.

youre definatley not alone..when i was very little, 3 i believe, i burned the inside of my cheek on the left side pretty bad, so after that the skin was always kind of "weird" on that side and still to this day at almost 25 years old i catch myself biting it and noticed that when i make an effort not to bite my nails, i actually chew my cheek even more.. i guess its a nervous habit.. my best guess would say chew gum alot.. if you feel like u need to do it grab some gum

Behavior modification. Put a rubber band around your writsst and snap it everytime you want to bite. If you're doing it in the middle of the night, wear a mouthguard. You can buy them in the drugstore.

Better stop this - the first thing I thought when I read your first sentence was that you're going to cause yourself to get cancer, and then I read the rest of your post. You have to quit. Try these ideas I'm talking about.

Dawn

I have that same habit! And I have the same fear about oral cancer. I will check out your responses.

Some good suggestions below I could only add acupuncture or hypnosis?? If you can't do it any other way...it seems extreme but I'm sure it would work.

I had a long time habit of biting my nails.. (since childhood) and it's been VERY difficult to stop.. However, in the last ten year or more, I eventually did stop.. but it takes becoming more mindful of the habit.

IF you are like me, you probably do it without even giving it much thought and when you are anxious, it's probably your go to to relieve stress. That said, what helped me is............ eliminating or cutting down on certain food/drinks that give me the jitters. E.g. too much coffee.. (one than one cup) and best believe I will start picking at my fingers... Too much alcohol (more than a couple of glasses) which is rare for me , but when I do drink.. it's has to be minimal or the alcohol just makes me edgy and I start picking..
Of course, too much sugar or other sweets also greatly affects me..

Now, food/drink may not affect you, but it's worth looking into.. Also... Try and heal the wound first by using salty water.. once you heal it, go from there... when you start biting, STOP yourself in your tracks and begin doing something else. IF you don't, then you will keep biting... when I find myself becoming anxious,I know I have to get busy and take the focus off my nails and put my attention on something else.. It's a matter of constantly re-training your mind.. it does take vigilance.. I have to really be firm and tell myself STOP it.......... sounds crazy... but I really have to make a cognizant effort to stop the anxiety (which is what nail biting is for me) ... If I let the anxiety go.... then it's all over and I succumb to the habit (anxiety)

Also, when I get the urge to pick at my fingers (which is so autopilot for me) than I know automatically as it were that I am feeling anxious and I have to do a run down and ask myself.. ok, what 's going on.. sounds so simple... but try it the next time you are beginning to bite your cheek.. check in with yourself and see if maybe you are feeling upset or anxious about something.. you'd be surprise..... I believe the body bears the burden.... and doesn't lie... we form habits often as a means of dealing with stress/problems.. etc... I would say before you begin to stop, it's just as important to discover why you begin.... once you can approach this from that aspect, I think it will help you..

good luck

I chew on a section inside my cheek but don't break the skin. It's an absent-minded habit I developed.

I would say gum may give you something else to chew but be sure it's sugarless so you aren't trading one problem for another.

I would also enlist hubby to point out each time he sees it happening.

Other than getting Invisilines or some type of mouthguard, I don't know what else to suggest.

ouch. this does NOT sound like a habit. It sounds like an anxiety and health issue.

If you have that much acid in your mouth to cause sores, you need to talk with your dentist and a nutritionist to find out what you need to change in your diet to stop these sores from happening.

I just ran my tongue along the inside of my cheeks...no rough spots. Nothing but smooth surface...I asked my boys to do the same. Nothing as well.

There might be a mouth piece you can purchase from your dentist or even on-line to prevent you from being able to chew on any rough spots. Talk with your dentist...then start writing down when you notice the rough spot - what did you eat? was there stress? and go from there...

good luck!!

In order to break the habit, you need to replace the behavior with something else. If you leave a vacuum, so to speak, with nothing to replace the old and unwanted behavior with something else that's better then you'll end up going back to the old behavior.

Hi, Mama:

Why are you biting the inside of your cheek?

It is providing you a benefit for whatever reason.

When you are biting the inside of your cheek,
mentally ask yourself what is going on at the time
you are doing it?

Good luck.
D.