Everybody has experienced this at some point; they’re chewing or talking and accidentally bite their cheek. Besides being a little painful and slightly embarrassing, it may not cause any real concern.
However, some people find themselves biting their cheek often and wonder if they have an underlying problem. They might even worry if it could cause long-term oral health issues. If you want to know more about cheek-biting, here’s a guide that may help you.
Is Cheek Biting Dangerous?
Biting your cheek isn’t very much fun, but if you’re worried that it’ll lead to long-term oral health problems, there isn’t all that much to be concerned about. If you only bite your cheek occasionally, you may find that you get a few canker sores, which should go away with time.
Chronic cheek biting may be a little more serious, leading to tears in the mouth’s lining. This isn’t dangerous per se, but waiting for the wound to heal can be pretty uncomfortable, especially if you continue to agitate it.
How to Stop Biting Your Cheek
People can bite their cheek for all kinds of reasons, so if you’re trying to break the habit, it’s worth interrogating why you do it in the first place.
There are a few things that could be the culprit. For example, some people have teeth that are angled outward toward the cheek. This is most often the case with wisdom teeth. If you bite your cheek often, it may be worth asking your dentist if orthodontics or a wisdom tooth extraction could be useful.
Some people also bite their cheek habitually as a psychological tick. If a dentist tells you that the problem isn’t related to your teeth, you may also want to talk to a mental health professional to see if the problem is psychological.
In either case, there’s no harm in talking to a professional about your cheek-biting problem. Once you manage to kick this habit, there shouldn’t be any long-term health effects to worry about.
About the Author
Dr. Teresa Knott has been a general dentist for over 20 years, and in that time she’s learned to help patients of all ages with all kinds of problems. No matter what you’re dealing with, she can offer you not only understanding, but a treatment plan tailored to your individual needs. Dr. Knott received her dental degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, and she continues her education with the Texas Dental Study Club.
If you have any questions about cheek biting, she can be reached at her website or by phone at (972) 530-5200.