As much as some people think cheek biting doesn’t have harmful effects, it is a bad habit that can lead to oral infections. Cheek biting can be a repetitive behavior signaling an underlying mental condition known as OCD. This condition is mainly caused by stress and anxiety. Regardless of the cause, cheek biting poses a great risk to your oral health. Therefore, it is important to understand the dangers of cheek biting for better protection.
The Dangers Of Cheek Biting
The main risk associated with cheek biting is causing infections to your mouth. By repeatedly biting down on your cheeks, you wear down the mouth tissues and create open wounds. This can result in bigger injuries like ulcers and mouth sores that are severe. Study shows that some cheek biters have a “favorite” portion in the cheek they concentrate their biting. This area is mostly damaged and feels jagged. The broken skin around the area can trigger additional infections that worsen the injury. In some cases, the infection spreads to other parts of the mouth, increasing the chances of tooth loss. Therefore, understanding the risk associated with such infections is crucial in helping you stop cheek biting.
While cheek biting is triggered by mental health problems like stress and anxiety, you can help limit its effects on your oral health. For instance, you can distract yourself by chewing sugarless gum. This will keep your teeth busy. This is important because it prevents the risk of conditions like gums disease. Gum disease develops due to the accumulation of bacteria around the wounds on your cheek. The bacteria can spread to your gums and cause gum disease. Therefore, you need to prevent such effects by avoiding instances where you bite your cheek. Contact our dentist for more information on the effects of cheek biting.