Constantly rubbing tongue against teeth

[akdunn99]

I too, am going through this. It started about 2.5 months ago, i have a tooth that catches food and Im constantly messing with it with my tongue to see if food is stuck because it feeks like it is. I bought floss and those gum stimulators and i was messing with it so much the gum and my tongue got sore. Now, my tongue has moved off of that tooth and went on to constantly feeling back of front teeth. Dry mouth too, cant go anywhere without a drink. Its really driving me batty. I do stop while asleep though, aapparently. And i eat mints to distract my tongue. Geez .

 

[Lolitappp]

Hi. Did u ever figure out this Issue? I have the same problem.

 

[Teeth_Feeler]

Re: UPDATE: How I fixed it!!!!!

It's been less than a week now, but it's looking good.

I was looking online for solutions again and came across someone saying that he assumed a limbo-like position, throwing back his head, and did 10 repetitions of such an exercise twice a day. I didn't think that would work for me, but I was intrigued by the idea of throwing back one's head. It did feel like the tongue settled in its natural place then.

My situation was that I had just learned that something which had been stressing me out was okay, and I was feeling rather sluggish. I suggest trying this on a low-stress day and consider a hot bath or massage to help.

What I did was remain super focused on keeping my tongue from doing it for an entire day, throwing my head back when my tongue tried. My results weren't perfect, but they were very good. My attention was always there, and I never back slid for more than a few seconds.

The amazing thing was that when I woke up the next day, ready to go at it again, it was much, much, much easier. Yes, I kept focus, but far less attention was needed. I also used a toothbrush to clear food debris, not wanting my tongue to make any of those aggressive motions.

I'm about 5 days into it and yes I'm still paying attention to my tongue, but aside from sucking a bit in my mouth, my tongue feels normal as it hasn't in a year or two. The urge isn't even there. It's amazing.

Did this fix your issue long term??? I am going to try this starting now! Because I am still doing it...

 

[Vass]

I been dealing with this for the last few weeks. I didn’t have a crown for three years so I know have something foreign in your mouth takes time to deal with. I went to the dentist he said everything was fine and I still insist on running my tongue around my mouth. I’m going to see a wellness doctor later and see if that help. I’ve also been using a vape pen and I’m not sure if that is actually what is making it worse. Going to lay off the vape for a few days and see if that helps. This is a new habit for me but it’s quite annoying .

 

[Vass]

It’s also been 12 days since I seen the dentist for my cleaning maybe my teeth and gums are just taking longer to heal. All in all I hope this stops cause it will def cause me serious health issues in the future especially if I have to take meds

 

[Marienne]

Hi all, I have a solution that worked for me and wanted to help out - I know how incredibly frustrating this is. I couldn’t stop fiddling with a rough edge in between my bottom front teeth for a a very long time that was like that because the teeth were misaligned. It caused so much distress, I couldn’t stop playing with it and it never went away despite multiple trips to the dentist. Eventually i got invsalign to straighten my teeth out but what REALLY solved the issue was getting a wire retainer placed on the back of my front teeth. This blocked out my tounge from finding the edge and acted as a barrier - you can definitely ask to get this if your teeth are quite aligned and not too crooked. The wire is meant to be permanent and felt strange initially but now I don’t even notice it. Despite this fixing it for me physically, I do think this is an OCD/anxiety related issue, so wouldn’t hurt to look into that as well - nonetheless hope I helped a little!

 

[MadTongue]

I’m amazed that there are other people experiencing the madness (hence my “MadTongue” name) with our tongues. It’s driving me crazy!! I literally have to be consciously avoiding rubbing my teeth with my tongue which is impossible 100% of the time. As far as I know there is nothing wrong with my teeth, they are not crooked, they have no chip or cracks, however, I may have a slight build up of plaque...only reason I say this is because that’s what my tongue seems to keep trying to feel. In addition, now my teeth are overly sensitive, as if my tongue has worn the enamel down. Is that even possible? Other than anxiety pills or a mouth guard, are there any other options?

 

[Teeth_Feeler]

I’m amazed that there are other people experiencing the madness (hence my “MadTongue” name) with our tongues. It’s driving me crazy!! I literally have to be consciously avoiding rubbing my teeth with my tongue which is impossible 100% of the time. As far as I know there is nothing wrong with my teeth, they are not crooked, they have no chip or cracks, however, I may have a slight build up of plaque...only reason I say this is because that’s what my tongue seems to keep trying to feel. In addition, now my teeth are overly sensitive, as if my tongue has worn the enamel down. Is that even possible? Other than anxiety pills or a mouth guard, are there any other options?

I am still watching this thread for a solution and now my best friend doing it too after having a deep cleaning. We are now BOTH nuts with this, help!!

 

[MadTongue]

I am still watching this thread for a solution and now my best friend doing it too after having a deep cleaning. We are now BOTH nuts with this, help!!

I haven’t found a resolution either. I was just at the dentist and asked her about it and she waved it away and said oh your tongue is just trying to feel the plaque behind your teeth.
I was like, wow thanks...didn’t say it though.
I’m due for a cleaning so they should be taking care of the plaque build up behind my lower front teeth so we’ll see if it stops or not. I have my doubts.

 

[Dumbtounge]

I thought I was going crazy and was the only person this was happening to. I had a crown put on in August and ever since my tongue will NOT stop rubbing against the back of my teeth and I keep chewing on the edge of my tongue. I feel like I’m going crazy !! The only thing that stops it is eating, sleeping, or chewing gum. I chew so much gum that now I have jaw pain. I can’t win! Talked to dentist and he blew me off and said I just need to stop doing it. Was quite annoyed by his reaction.

 

[MadTongue]

I thought I was going crazy and was the only person this was happening to. I had a crown put on in August and ever since my tongue will NOT stop rubbing against the back of my teeth and I keep chewing on the edge of my tongue. I feel like I’m going crazy !! The only thing that stops it is eating, sleeping, or chewing gum. I chew so much gum that now I have jaw pain. I can’t win! Talked to dentist and he blew me off and said I just need to stop doing it. Was quite annoyed by his reaction.

I feel your pain (quite literally)! I wish I could find a dentist who took it more seriously

I thought I was going crazy and was the only person this was happening to. I had a crown put on in August and ever since my tongue will NOT stop rubbing against the back of my teeth and I keep chewing on the edge of my tongue. I feel like I’m going crazy !! The only thing that stops it is eating, sleeping, or chewing gum. I chew so much gum that now I have jaw pain. I can’t win! Talked to dentist and he blew me off and said I just need to stop doing it. Was quite annoyed by his reaction.

I feel your pain (quite literally)!
I wish I could find a dentist that took this seriously because it really is very bothersome.

 

[neonbutterfly139]

I'm having this same problem and it's driving me crazy. I told my dentist about it, that there was a rough edge that I keep constantly rubbing my tongue on. A root canal was done, and a crown put in, but the rough edge is still there. I can't stop rubbing my tongue on it even though I feel slight pain in the tooth when I do it and the end of my tongue sometimes feels rubbed raw. I think they fixed the wrong tooth or didn't file down the crown properly. I thought when I got this tooth fixed that the rough edge would be gone, but I really do think they fixed the wrong one. How do I stop doing this in the meantime since I don't have money to go back at the moment? I've tried putting my tongue to the roof of my mouth instead, but I start rubbing the rough edge before I even realize I'm doing it again.

 

[MadTongue]

I feel your pain but, unfortunately, I haven’t found a solution yet ?

 

[dan4thePpl]

I have this problem currently. My front tooth has a hollow bottom and a small gap in between the other front tooth and I always catch my self rubbing my tongue there. I relate this issue with my anxiety/like a nervous tick.

I think this bad habit I've accustomed to is not very appealing to my tongue, nor attractive. Since its mostly mental, I feel like I just need to put effort into stopping it as soon as I'm aware of it, repeatedly until i hopefully minimize this habit. ill try to update on this effort!


Glad I found this forum I found it very comforting!

 

[MadTongue]

I have this problem currently. My front tooth has a hollow bottom and a small gap in between the other front tooth and I always catch my self rubbing my tongue there. I relate this issue with my anxiety/like a nervous tick.

I think this bad habit I've accustomed to is not very appealing to my tongue, nor attractive. Since its mostly mental, I feel like I just need to put effort into stopping it as soon as I'm aware of it, repeatedly until i hopefully minimize this habit. ill try to update on this effort!


Glad I found this forum I found it very comforting!

Same here! It was comforting to know I’m not alone and I’ve been trying to consciously not rub the back of my teeth with my tongue but easier said than done! *sigh*

 

[Is it stress]

I thought that I had a problem called Tardive Dyskinesia and I had my family doctor, a psychiatrist and neurologist tell me that’s what it was due to a possible medication reaction. They want to put me on Austedo but I haven’t tried it yet. I am not 100% sure if I should try it. My tongue hurts so bad and my gums behind my teeth from rubbing my teeth and sucking my teeth. It’s enough to drive me crazy, I’ve tried putting wax behind my teeth but I end up chewing on the wax. Does anyone have issues with too much swallowing now too ?

 

[MadTongue]

I have a similar issue because of teeth sensitivity and pain. It does seem very much like an OCD type disorder, which might be helped by certain anti-depressants if it gets really bad. What I do is chew a small piece of gum for a good part of the day and that helps a lot to keep my mouth "occupied". My situation is probably due to withdrawal from said ADs.

But if my dentist didn't take it seriously and try to help me fix the situation, whatever it takes, I would can him in a heartbeat. This is serious quality of life stuff and that is their job.

I agree, already looking into another dentist here in town!

 

[Catlady321]

Well I feel relieved that's I'm not the only person driving myself crazy. I had my first filling two years ago and the dentist made a real mess of it, the amalgam she used felt rough and gritty and each time my tongue touched it I could feel bits coming off. After two weeks of utter irritation I went back to dentist to complain, having spent two weeks rubbing my tooth with my tongue it was practically smooth by then. She said it was all in my imagination (it really wasn't!!). Anyway, I ended up going to a new dentist months later because the feel of the tooth was bothering me so much. New dentist has tried really hard to file it etc but basically I can't stop my tongue from constantly seeking it out and rubbing it. At my last appointment i asked her if it would be okay to pull the tooth out entirely because Im feeling so desperate. She advised against it. Now my tongue keeps finding pointy teetb etc. Its been two years and im still doing this annoying habit. I dint think of myself as being an anxious person but I am very sensitive and if I'm honest, looking back I've gone through lengthy phases of nail biting as a child, hair pulling in my twenties, maybe this is another phase like those.

 

[Lolitappp]

I agree that this thread is very comforting to read. All my friends think I’m crazy and don’t understand how truly exhausting and annoying it becomes. I just don’t understand how it started out of nowhere. I feel like I’m doing it so much I’m pushing my bottom front teeth forward. It’s been over a year now I’ve been struggling with this.

 

[Catlady321]

Wow, there are so many of us with the same issue. I've had a bad couple of days of my tongue constantly rubbing my annoying tooth, my tongue is sore and gum around it really sore too. It feels so awful, you'd think that would be enough to make me stop. This issue seems to baffle dentists doesn't it? I have tried chewing gum, lots of it and dont think it has been effective because it keeps my tongue occupied in the short term but essentially isn't solving the problem. I had a good day on Friday by using a mindfulness technique that I am going to try again tomorrow and persist with... I closed my mouth and put my tongue in a resting position (not in contact with any teeth or roof of mouth and then I consciously kept my tongue closed and kept thinking about the sensation of my tongue whist it is still. I want to train my brain to be more aware of this resting sensation. I'm going to persist and if it fails then try hypnotherapy. If it works for other habits then why not this one.