I'm not sure if I'm posting in the right place, but I wanted a dentists opinion. I've been pressing my tongue to my teeth, rubbing my tongue on a chipped tooth and the inside of my cheeks as well as my tongue have a sore line across from being pushed to my teeth. Painful and annoying, sometimes it's not as bad, but it's always there. Once every couple months it'll b very bad, I make myself crazy, all I can think about is my tongue, it feels too big, and sore and can affect the way I speak. Sometimes i wake up and it hurts , so I do it in my sleep, I clench my jaw occasionally when this is going on. I don't remember doing this before the last few yrs, I've got a few things going on that might b adding to it, I've googled tongue thrust and I don't think I'm doing that, my teeth r not moving or hurting, but I have big bone growths under my tongue, maybe have grown? Could that push my tongue up? It feels like I hold my tongue in a wierd place, i have a slight lisp. I'm always conscious of it, it drives me mad. I'm a bit compulsive with some things, especially my body. I am extremely iron deficient, I 've never told anyone, but as a teen I ate dirt because of that. I chipped my teeth badly, but i didnt notice the chips until a few years ago when I started pressing my tongue against my teeth, it really hurts, I always have the imprint of my teeth on my tongue where I have the chips is the worst. I am on methadone for opioid addiction, I don't take very good care of myself, I have alot of stress, and I'm depressed but I can work through it and function well at work, but I don't eat well, when I'm hungry I find I clench my jaw and push my tongue worse I think, or I notice it more then. I don't know why I can't take care of myself? My eating habits are terrible, my oral hygiene isn't great I only brush once a day, and I only shower once a week, I don't know why I can't , when I do eat or shower I feel so much better, but Instead I just go to sleep, unless I have to work, probably stress related. I can't afford the dentist and the last time I went was 7 yrs ago, I'm ashamed of the chips on my teeth from eating dirt and last time I went to the dentist the assistant made jokes about it, she kept saying I must have been opening beer bottles with my teeth to get such horrible chips. I cried all the way home, now I can't even think about the dentist without crying, I'm almost crying writing this! So I haven't been back, even though I have alot of cavaties. I was also wondering if u think the dentist could file down some of the chips? I don't know how long it'll take me to work up the nerve to go back. Is there anything u can think of that someone would chip their teeth on that I could say I did? I don't want to tell anyone how I did it.
any advice on how to stop would be greatly appreciated, I am constantly trying to hold my tongue different so it doesn't press against my teeth, but it's a losing battle. I would go to the dentist about it, but I'm so self conscious of the chips I can't bring myself to go. Thanks so much, sorry I wrote so much!!!