Biting your lip or cheek from time-to-time can happen to anyone. This often happens when you eat or while sleeping. However, if this happens often, it could be caused by a more serious repetitive or chronic condition. Cheek biting can lead to oral health problems, such as infection or tissue erosion, so it needs to be addressed as soon as detected. The good news is that cheek biting can be prevented and corrected. A simple trip to the Upper Hunt Club Dental Centre in Ottawa can help you diagnose and correct the problem quickly and prevent long-term damage.
What Is Cheek Biting?
Cheek biting is a condition in which someone bites or chews on the inside of their cheek. This can be done accidentally or compulsively. The cause of compulsive cheek biting is often psychological and is related to similar behaviors like chewing your fingernails or pulling out your hair. Accidental cheek biting can be the result of a dental problem, such as poor alignment, a damaged tooth, or ill-fitting dental components such as a crown or implant. These causes are treatable, sometimes with a single visit to your dentist. In pediatric patients, cheek biting tends to be a repetitive, compulsive behavior. During a dental appointment, your dentist can determine if the reason for your child’s cheek biting is psychological or caused by a dental problem and instruct you on how to address the problem and prevent it from recurring.
Consequences of Cheek Biting
Although cheek biting seems harmless enough since the damage isn't visible from the outside, there are some serious consequences associated with the behavior. The most common consequence of cheek biting is the scarring of the tissue inside the mouth. In dental patients with chronic cheek biting, you will notice white rough patches of tissue in the cheeks. Once scarring occurs, the patient may chew on the area more in an effort to smooth it or compulsively. Cheek bites can also result in oral inflammation and infection which needs to be addressed immediately by a dentist. Treatment with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs may need to be prescribed. If you fail to treat these issues, the infection and inflammation can worsen and become painful and dangerous. Severe cases of cheek biting can result in erosion of the tissue in the cheek and mouth ulcers. Ulcers are painful and can affect your ability to chew food, talk, and drink certain liquids.
Treatment Options for Cheek Biting
The good news is that cheek biting is very treatable. Our dental professionals at the Upper Hunt Club Dental Centre in Ottawa will perform an oral examination to determine the cause of your cheek biting. Once the cause is identified, a plan of action will be determined to correct the problem. If a dental problem is causing the issue, a number of options, such as filing down a tooth, repositioning a crown or implant, or even orthodontics may resolve the cheek biting. However, treatment varies based on the individual and the cause of the condition. For cases of compulsive and habitual cheek biting, multiple approaches may be needed to fully correct the problem. For instance, the patient may need to visit their primary care doctor to determine the cause of the behavior and the treatment plan that will work best to correct the behavior in the long- run. In addition, your dentist may be able to install prosthetic guards to protect the cheeks from the teeth until the habit is broken. This is a short-term solution that will prevent further damage until the underlying cause of the cheek biting is corrected. With compulsive cheek biting, a combination of psychological and dental approaches works best for most patients. While a dentist can stop the behavior, it's important to address the psychological causes behind it to prevent the compulsive or repetitive behavior from manifesting into other similar compulsive behaviors.
Get Help for Cheek Biting Now
Cheek biting can be a very painful chronic condition that can affect your overall health. If you or your child suffer from cheek biting, visit the Upper Hunt Club Dental Centre in Ottawa to identify the cause of the condition. Once your dentist identifies the underlying cause of cheek biting, you will be able to work together to come up with a permanent solution to resolve the cheek biting and prevent the painful consequences of the behavior. Contact us today to book an appointment!
