1. < Brain & Nervous System

Chronic tongue and lip biting while eating

Posted by chiefd67 @chiefd67, Aug 31, 2022

I have been biting my tongue, inside my upper and lower lips, and inside my cheeks for well over a year now. I went to the VA and they
assumed it was a dental issue and would not refer me to a specialist. I went to my dentist and she wanted to put crowns over perfectly good teeth to "see if that would work." I do have cervical degenerative disc disease and nerve issues for about 50 years now. I googled and found out that in the brain there is a section called "pons" that controls a few functions, chewing is one of them. I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem and if so what was done to stop the biting and if it had anything to do with the brain (pons)? What specialist would I go to to get testing, and should I go to Mayo since not many doctors I have been to know anything about my problem? Thanks!

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melissa74 | @melissa74 | Nov 24, 2023

Hi there, I have recently been biting the underside of my tongue when eating. It then causes a sore which becomes swollen and contributes to more biting. I’m able to break the cycle if I’m very careful eating. I did notice it began happening when I changed which side I chewed my food on because I was having a root canal and crown done and I didn’t want to apply too much pressure on the side being worked on. The dental work is done now, but I still keep biting the underside of my tongue!
What I’m also fascinated by is that I have several similarities with the others that replied to you.
I too have autonomic neuropathy, degenerative disease, and acute anxiety issues that cause me to clench.
For anyone wondering, it is worth asking a neurologist (if you can) about this as it can be more than a dental alignment issue.
I see a neurologist who specializes is nervous system disorders such as MS, so I intend on asking him about the biting just to be on the safe side. I can update this thread with anything I learn at my next appointment in January.
For anyone following this subject, I hope you will also share anything you learn as well.

REPLY
1 reply
sisyphus | @sisyphus | Nov 25, 2023
In reply to @melissa74 "Hi there, I have recently been biting the underside of my tongue when eating. It then..." + (show)
@melissa74

Hi there, I have recently been biting the underside of my tongue when eating. It then causes a sore which becomes swollen and contributes to more biting. I’m able to break the cycle if I’m very careful eating. I did notice it began happening when I changed which side I chewed my food on because I was having a root canal and crown done and I didn’t want to apply too much pressure on the side being worked on. The dental work is done now, but I still keep biting the underside of my tongue!
What I’m also fascinated by is that I have several similarities with the others that replied to you.
I too have autonomic neuropathy, degenerative disease, and acute anxiety issues that cause me to clench.
For anyone wondering, it is worth asking a neurologist (if you can) about this as it can be more than a dental alignment issue.
I see a neurologist who specializes is nervous system disorders such as MS, so I intend on asking him about the biting just to be on the safe side. I can update this thread with anything I learn at my next appointment in January.
For anyone following this subject, I hope you will also share anything you learn as well.

Jump to this post

For me eating intentionally -- also called mindful eating where one is attentive to the activity of eating, and not trying to do another activity simultaneously, helps me avoid being bitten along the periphery of the tongue

REPLY
2 replies
elle11 | @elle11 | Nov 26, 2023
In reply to @sisyphus "For me eating intentionally -- also called mindful eating where one is attentive to the activity..." + (show)
@sisyphus

For me eating intentionally -- also called mindful eating where one is attentive to the activity of eating, and not trying to do another activity simultaneously, helps me avoid being bitten along the periphery of the tongue

Jump to this post

Never thought about but gonna be more aware now when I eat. Good advice. Thanks

REPLY
annewoodmayo | @annewoodmayo | Nov 26, 2023
In reply to @chiefd67 "My initial statement stated I had seen a dentist and what they said." + (show)
@chiefd67

My initial statement stated I had seen a dentist and what they said.

Jump to this post

HI chiefd67,

It's been awhile since your first post on this topic, so I'm guessing that you feel pretty frustrated... My sympathy for that.

I think that I may have one practical suggestion for you. If you want to skip my "story" and reasoning and see my suggestion, look below at the ** paragraph.

I have experienced bouts of this kind of biting. It's annoying that doctors brush it off since it has a big impact on nutrition- for me anyway.

I also have spine / neck issues: C5 going over C4 ( I forget the medical term); bone spur at C7; degenerated discs in lumbar region; sacral spine is stiff.

Like one of the other people who posted, I also had Covid before the last round of biting.

Also, I have had a lot of dental work. And my teeth are no longer well aligned. I do get jaw stiffness.

The biting has stopped recently! I don't know why. Certainly my teeth haven't suddenly re-aligned, so, like you, I think that probably rules out a dental cause.

It's been 7 months since my last Covid. Maybe that's a factor, maybe not.

I have changed my medication. I think you posted that you don't take meds., so no similarity there.

**Another change for me since it stopped: I am back in physical therapy for my spine. At this point in PT, I am doing stretches only, no weights or anything. Maybe this could be an avenue for you to pursue? If you can't get the VA to give you a script for PT, you might be able to learn some of the simple neck stretches on the internet. For me, physical therapy has been very helpful for other things, but it requires a lot of persistence and patience. It can take months to notice improvement. Again, going to PT has been one of 2 changes that I have made since the biting went away, so it might be a solution. (The other change was in my medication.)

Who knows at this point? But maybe stretching out the neck loosens up some nerves or muscles or something, even if it doesn't change the actual cause. At the very least, it might make you feel better mentally- like you now have something that you can DO about it, while the doctors dither.

Hope you find this helpful! Sorry it got so long!

REPLY
1 reply
chiefd67 | @chiefd67 | Nov 26, 2023
In reply to @annewoodmayo "HI chiefd67, It's been awhile since your first post on this topic, so I'm guessing that..." + (show)
@annewoodmayo

HI chiefd67,

It's been awhile since your first post on this topic, so I'm guessing that you feel pretty frustrated... My sympathy for that.

I think that I may have one practical suggestion for you. If you want to skip my "story" and reasoning and see my suggestion, look below at the ** paragraph.

I have experienced bouts of this kind of biting. It's annoying that doctors brush it off since it has a big impact on nutrition- for me anyway.

I also have spine / neck issues: C5 going over C4 ( I forget the medical term); bone spur at C7; degenerated discs in lumbar region; sacral spine is stiff.

Like one of the other people who posted, I also had Covid before the last round of biting.

Also, I have had a lot of dental work. And my teeth are no longer well aligned. I do get jaw stiffness.

The biting has stopped recently! I don't know why. Certainly my teeth haven't suddenly re-aligned, so, like you, I think that probably rules out a dental cause.

It's been 7 months since my last Covid. Maybe that's a factor, maybe not.

I have changed my medication. I think you posted that you don't take meds., so no similarity there.

**Another change for me since it stopped: I am back in physical therapy for my spine. At this point in PT, I am doing stretches only, no weights or anything. Maybe this could be an avenue for you to pursue? If you can't get the VA to give you a script for PT, you might be able to learn some of the simple neck stretches on the internet. For me, physical therapy has been very helpful for other things, but it requires a lot of persistence and patience. It can take months to notice improvement. Again, going to PT has been one of 2 changes that I have made since the biting went away, so it might be a solution. (The other change was in my medication.)

Who knows at this point? But maybe stretching out the neck loosens up some nerves or muscles or something, even if it doesn't change the actual cause. At the very least, it might make you feel better mentally- like you now have something that you can DO about it, while the doctors dither.

Hope you find this helpful! Sorry it got so long!

Jump to this post

Thank you!

REPLY
nacasc | @nacasc | Nov 29, 2023

I also have DDD. The mouth biting usually gets worse during my menstrual cycle so I just popped that into Google and stumbled across your comment. I never put the two together. Interesting. Have you looked into the mouth biting any further since posting?

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judyg27 | @judyg27 | Dec 13, 2023

I notice that when I'm eating a mixed bowl of food, hard and soft, and of different sizes, my chewing causes me to bite my tongue or the inside of my cheek. Sadly it happens when I'm eating anything, even an apple. At sixty-three I think it's normal to lose dexterity in different areas. My balance isn't what it used to be either.

REPLY
1 reply
judyg27 | @judyg27 | Dec 13, 2023
In reply to @sisyphus "For me eating intentionally -- also called mindful eating where one is attentive to the activity..." + (show)
@sisyphus

For me eating intentionally -- also called mindful eating where one is attentive to the activity of eating, and not trying to do another activity simultaneously, helps me avoid being bitten along the periphery of the tongue

Jump to this post

I like that. I will try it.

REPLY
michelez408 | @michelez408 | Mar 6 5:50am

You are not alone. This has been ongoing for me. I kept thinking it's going to stop, until it happens again. This time I bit the back side of my tongue and the pain's been here for about 4 days now. And, now it's affecting my throat. I also think I'm chewing normal, and a lot of the time I remind myself to eat slow. I also try to choose foods that are softer. But then...Ouch! I'm so miserable because of this. Hopefully we can find a solution. That's what I'm looking for now. Good luck to you ):

REPLY
michelez408 | @michelez408 | Mar 6 5:52am
In reply to @judyg27 "I notice that when I'm eating a mixed bowl of food, hard and soft, and of..." + (show)
@judyg27

I notice that when I'm eating a mixed bowl of food, hard and soft, and of different sizes, my chewing causes me to bite my tongue or the inside of my cheek. Sadly it happens when I'm eating anything, even an apple. At sixty-three I think it's normal to lose dexterity in different areas. My balance isn't what it used to be either.

Jump to this post

Sorry to hear what you're going through. I am dealing with the same issue! I'm 52. My teeth are not bad. I can't for the life of me figure out the problem. So here I am, searching for a solution. Good Luck to you...

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