Like many people, you might bite your inner cheeks at times. It’s a normal enough thing to happen — you likely don’t even think much of this action. However, did you know cheek biting can do sizable damage to your oral health? The habit could harm your mouth’s tissues if you’re not careful. Luckily, your local Raleigh dentist can help you stop doing it. Here, then, is a summary of why cheek bites can happen, the damage they cause, and how to avoid them.
Context: Why Does Cheek Biting Happen?
In general, you can divide cheek bite causes into two types: the physical and the emotional.
With physical causes, biting your cheek is usually unintentional. You might do it when eating too fast, talking during a meal, or getting injured. Likewise, it may happen if your wisdom teeth are deflected toward your cheek.
In contrast, emotional causes tend to make cheek bites a compulsion. Depressed or anxious people often chew their inner cheeks to manage stress. Sometimes, this biting is even a body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB).
What Damage Does It Cause?
Of course, biting your cheek harms your mouth regardless of the cause. Doing too much of it damages your gums and other soft tissues.
For one thing, cheek biting can result in canker sores. After all, the force it applies to your mouth’s lining will irritate the latter. From there, you may struggle to eat or speak until the lesions fade.
Chronic cheek biting also leads to redness and tears in the mouth lining. If it’s a repetitive behavior, you may even feel guilt or shame and avoid others so they don’t notice.
How Can You Stop Doing It?
Fortunately, there are things you can do to stop biting your cheeks. They include:
- Visiting Your Dentist – If your cheek bites are due to a wisdom tooth (or a different one), a dentist might suggest braces or extraction to align your teeth.
- Relieving Stress –Through a physician or therapist, you could get stress-relieving exercises that make inner cheek bites less likely. These practices might include breathwork, meditation, etc.
- Replacing the Habit – Another good way to stop biting your cheeks is to replace the habit with something else. For example, you could try chewing gum more often.
Ultimately, cheek biting isn’t exactly harmless. Therefore, please consult your local physician or dentist for help with stopping it.
About the Practice
Dr. Christine Laster is a family dentist based in Raleigh, NC, having earned her doctorate from the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Dentistry. She’s also a member of the American Dental Association and the North Carolina Dental Society. Given this background, her specialties include preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatments, as well as pediatric care. Dr. Laster currently practices at Rensch & Laster and can be reached at her website or by phone at (919)-787-0355.
