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willownie

Updated 1y ago

Teeth Grinding and OCD: Serious Damage to My Mouth

Has anyone else caused serious damage to their mouth from grinding their teeth or chewing their inner cheeks? Part of my OCD is related to me having to do those things in a specific pattern, and I do it around half the day doing it most days. It's gotten to the point where I don't even notice I'm doing it until I catch myself randomly or something especially painful happens. My teeth are beyond repair. I get cavities filled only to wear away my filling, and I've chipped one of my teeth doing my rituals. My inner cheeks also have huge skin tag-like things by my canines, and then theres a straight line of white, damaged back where my teeth meet. Not sure what to do about it beyond a therapist. I don't want to be on medication if I can help it, just personal preference. But I am pretty worried about what my mouth will look like in 5 years.

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jillybilly

2y

Have you ever considered wearing something like a night guard when you're not eating, talking, etc.?
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Captain_Marvel

2y

Yes grinding while asleep. Wear a mouth piece when sleeping at night
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Justinerosexx

2y

I have chipped the same tooth over and over again from the grinding 😩. My dentist bills are over the roof now because of how many times I’ve got it fixed and I just keep doing it. Wish I can stop
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Captain_Marvel

2y

Purchace an athletic mouth piece under 10.00 dollars
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Quince

2y

I have huge scars inside my mouth from biting and chewing at my cheeks.
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TheBigSpook

2y

I’m so glad I stumbled upon your post, because what you’re describing is called a BRFB, or a Body Focused Repetitive Behavior! The most well known one is trichotillomania (hair-pulling) but others are dermatillomania (skin picking; I have this one real bad), bruxism (teeth grinding), nose picking, nail biting, nail chewing, cheek biting, and more. They are OCD-related disorders and I highly recommend you take a look at bfrb.org and try to find a therapist that has experience with OCD and these sorts of related disorders. They’re more common than you think, people are just uneducated! You can also go to bfrb.org if you want to find a support group online or near you to help you feel less alone in your struggle

The content in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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