Odd tongue habit

[Anxiety Riddled]

This is probably an extremely odd question but does anyone here obsessively move their tongue against their teeth? Like excessively feeling an area that’s bothering you or causing you concern? My anxiety has been through the roof lately concerning my mouth and the more I feel around the worse it gets. I just want to stop doing this but I don’t know how. It’s extremely hard to control. This is a habit I’ve had for years but it has recently gotten worse. I will literally do this all day every day until I make my mouth/tip of my tongue sore. From what I’ve read online it looks like this is stress/anxiety induced. If anyone has or does deal with a similar issue I’d like to hear how you handle it or maybe even how you’ve stopped the behavior?

 

[letsconnect]

There's an ultra-long thread about it here:

Constantly rubbing tongue against teeth

I have a gap in my teeth where two teeth have rotated inwards slightly and my tongue has become obsessed with it! Honestly, it's like it has a mind of its own! I am constantly pushing my tongue against the gap and running it along the crooked surface created by the rotated teeth, but it isn't a...

www.dentalfearcentral.org

To be honest, your best bet might be to see a clinical psychologist about it, that might be quicker than reading through the whole thread . Just kidding - but seriously, CBT (cognitive-behavioural therapy) should work very well for an obsessive habit like that.

 

[Anxiety Riddled]

@letsconnect I totally understand your statement that it may be quicker to find a psychologist haha. I found that thread you shared to me after posting my question and read the whole thing... Definitely a lengthy forum just to find out that everyone suffering from this finds no relief .

 

[letsconnect]

It shouldn't be rocket science for an experienced psychologist lol. You managed to read the whole thread? That's impressive

 

[Anxiety Riddled]

@letsconnect yeah unfortunately with my anxiety I’m up all night so I have all the time in the world to read haha.

 

[Enarete]

There's an ultra-long thread about it here:

Constantly rubbing tongue against teeth

I have a gap in my teeth where two teeth have rotated inwards slightly and my tongue has become obsessed with it! Honestly, it's like it has a mind of its own! I am constantly pushing my tongue against the gap and running it along the crooked surface created by the rotated teeth, but it isn't a...

www.dentalfearcentral.org

To be honest, your best bet might be to see a clinical psychologist about it, that might be quicker than reading through the whole thread . Just kidding - but seriously, CBT (cognitive-behavioural therapy) should work very well for an obsessive habit like that.

I was so back and forth posting that because I thought that thread is not very reassuring.

To back up what @letsconnect said, a CBT therapist will be able to help with this. And if you read through the thread you'll see that that's the thing that nobody seemed to do.

 

[Anxiety Riddled]

@Enarete I’ve been interested in finding a CBT therapist after seeing that recommendation popping up multiple times. I just don’t know how to go about even finding one.

 

[Enarete]

We have an article on this, would you like to take a look? :

How to Find a Psychologist or Therapist

Working with a qualified therapist can be a great help when tackling dental phobia. Find out how to get NHS and private help.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

Most therapists licenced in the USA are trained in CBT.