What to do if you bite the inside of your cheek

July 9, 2020

Situations where a person bites his cheek do not happen often. Mostly they are isolated, and the problem arises because many of us talk or rush while eating. But in some cases, injury appears systematically, and this is already dangerous to health and may indicate pathologies that need to be solved with the help of a professional dental approach. Why does the problem still arise and what to do if you bite your cheek from the inside? Journalists from the UltraSmile.ru portal consulted with doctors and prepared useful material on this topic.

Mechanism of injury

Cheek biting usually occurs due to negligence when a person performs some active actions: chewing food, talking, moving, doing physical exercises. Children often bite during active play. You can also get injured while at rest, for example, during sleep. The problem also arises for those who have undergone dental treatment and started eating before the anesthesia wears off. Such situations are usually isolated and rare.

Injury can occur when talking while eating

Patients who have braces installed can bite the oral mucosa. This phenomenon is especially often observed at the stage of adaptation to orthodontic devices, and after 2–4 weeks it goes away on its own.

Read the feature article “7 rules for what to do if a child bites his tongue until it bleeds.”

After a person bites the inside of the cheek, pain appears, the mucous membrane turns red and swells, and slight bleeding may begin from the wound. Some of those who bite their cheek note that an ulcer or bump has formed on the injured area, as in the photo.

The photo shows a bite mark on the cheek

Other recommendations

If an ulcer forms on the inside of the cheek after improper biting, you should reconsider your diet. So, it is recommended to remove hot drinks and food of the same temperature from it. This can be explained by the fact that exposing the wound to high temperatures slows down healing. It is also necessary to exclude cold foods, for example, ice cream, cold juices, etc. Low temperatures act similarly to high temperatures.

It is recommended to include as many vitamins as possible in the diet, which will help increase the body’s protective function and thereby speed up recovery. These include vitamin C and vitamins included in group B. These can be contained both in food products and in ready-made vitamin preparations.

If you constantly bite your cheek, the formation of an ulcer is inevitable. The main thing is to provide first aid correctly and prevent such injuries in the future.

Pathological causes of the problem

Many people wonder, “Why do I keep biting the inside of my cheek?” The causes of the problem may not be as harmless as it seems at first glance. Let's consider the main ones:

chipped, destroyed and unrestored teeth: these almost always touch the oral mucosa during active conversations, laughter, and chewing food. They can injure not only the inside of the cheeks, but also the lips, tongue,
incorrectly installed or old and worn fillings and dentures,
malocclusion,
absence of teeth: if they are not restored, the oval of the face gradually changes, the cheeks sink inward, and the remaining teeth periodically injure them,
presence of supernumerary teeth,
dysfunction and abnormal anatomical structure of the temporomandibular joint,
bruxism,
psychological problems and bad habits caused by stress,
wisdom teeth growing into the cheek.

The presence of extra teeth can injure the mucous membrane
“My daughter bit her cheek hard the other day while actively playing in kindergarten. The wound healed quite quickly, and after that incident she began to constantly bite her cheeks, but not too much, and she felt like she even liked it. I recently read on a forum that many children do this. But now how can we wean ourselves from this bad habit?”

Katerina Olegovna, fragment of a review from the website babyblog.ru

If the problems listed above are not addressed, cheek biting will occur systematically, but this is not the biggest difficulty that may arise. Due to the described pathologies, the process of complete chewing of food is disrupted, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract occur, the chewing load is incorrectly distributed, teeth are prematurely destroyed, and headaches and muscle pain occur.

Complications

When someone repeatedly bites their cheek, the area may appear thickened and paler than the surrounding tissue. Sometimes the affected area may be accompanied by purple spots. In more severe cases, dentists may notice tissue necrosis.

Patients who constantly bite their cheek may stop engaging in social activities to prevent other people from imitating their behavior. Some people may feel shame, isolation and low self-esteem due to their repetitive behavior, which can affect their overall well-being.

Dangerous consequences of injury

If you bite your cheek from the inside, then, firstly, the resulting wound is very painful and stings both on its own and while eating food or brushing your teeth. Secondly, if you do not promptly take care of what to do next and how to treat the injury, then the damaged tissue may become infected, after which the wound will become covered with purulent plaque, and an unpleasant disease such as stomatitis will develop.

You can often hear from a woman that she bit the inside of her cheek. Indeed, according to some studies, the problem occurs in women much more often than in men.

If measures are not taken in time, inflammation and pus may form in the wound.

Systematic damage to the mucous membrane can become a provoking factor for the development of chronic recurrent aphthous stomatitis1, as well as for the formation of both completely harmless wen, leukoplakia and malignant cancer tumors in the oral cavity.

“Once I bit my cheek and an ulcer formed on it. I didn’t even attach any importance to this fact, I thought it would heal on its own. After a couple of days, bad breath appeared, it became very painful to eat food at all, the temperature rose, and there were already several ulcers. I called a doctor and was diagnosed with stomatitis. It's a nasty, painful disease, I must say. During treatment, I lost 5 kg, as during the process I could not eat normally due to pain. Therefore, do not ignore the problem, but immediately think about how to treat it!!!”

Svetochka, review from woman.ru

Diagnostics

The main attention is paid to differential diagnosis. The wound surface resulting from biting the cheek should be distinguished from tuberculous ulcers, leukoplakia and cancer.

A tuberculous ulcer is very painful if you touch it . It has uneven, undermined edges and yellow grain. A cancerous ulcer does not heal for a long time, more than a month. It is distinguished by the presence of a seal in the center and along the edges. Histological examination in this case makes it possible to accurately determine the diagnosis.

Please note: in any case, if a wound appears as a result of biting your cheek, you should first seek medical help from a dentist.

First aid rules at home

The consequences of biting a person's cheek from the inside can be dealt with at home. We tell you what to do:

rinse your mouth with water at room temperature,
if you are injured while eating, you need to brush your teeth and carefully perform oral hygiene so that pieces of food and bacterial plaque do not get into the fresh wound,
disinfect the resulting wound with any antiseptic that is in your home medicine cabinet - “Chlorhexidine”, “Miramistin”, “Furacilin”,
if there is blood, then apply a gauze swab pre-moistened in antiseptic to the damaged tissue, press and hold for 10–15 minutes,
pain and swelling of the tissues can be reduced by applying a cold compress to the outside of the cheek,
for pain you can also take any painkiller that suits you - Nurofen, Ketanov,
relieve signs of inflammation, disinfect, promote faster tissue regeneration, and also numb gels for topical use - “Metrogil Denta”, “Cholisal”, “Kalgel”, “Solcoseryl”,
You can speed up tissue healing and relieve signs of inflammation with a decoction of chamomile or sage, tincture of propolis, applications with sea buckthorn oil, rose hips, vitamins A and E.

If blood appears, apply a gauze pad.
What else can you do at home if you bite your cheek from the inside? Until the mucous membrane has healed, it is not recommended to chew on the sore side, eat hard, cold, spicy and hot foods, as well as smoke - these are irritating factors that slow down the healing process and cause additional discomfort. Be sure to perform thorough oral hygiene morning and evening, and rinse your mouth with water after each meal to minimize the chance of wound infection.

If the wound is small and the immune system is good, then the damaged tissues usually heal within 2–3 days. In this case, no treatment is required. Saliva, which has bactericidal properties, plays a significant role in the healing process.

In what cases is examination and treatment by a doctor necessary?

Many people ask this question: “I bit my cheek from the inside, what should I do if it doesn’t go away and hurts?” If you have taken all possible measures at home, but after 2-3 days of home therapy, the mucous membrane has not healed, but, on the contrary, its condition has worsened (the wound is covered with pus and plaque, an ulcer has formed or many rashes have appeared, swelling does not subside), then it is necessary seek professional medical help. It is recommended to start the examination at the dentist.

If you have bitten your cheek, and an ulcer has formed at the site of the wound, indicating stomatitis, then further therapy and how to treat the pathology will depend on the type of disease. Doctors usually prescribe a whole range of drugs: antiseptics, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antipyretic, antihistamines, immunomodulators.

Seeing a doctor is also necessary if the patient bites his cheek more than once, and this happens systematically. Chronic injuries occur due to dental problems that require immediate attention. How and with what will the doctor treat? The dentist will conduct an examination and suggest that you replace old fillings and dentures with new ones, and restore chipped and damaged teeth with composite or crowns. If the cause of the problem is an incorrect bite, then it is necessary to undergo an examination by an orthodontist, as well as treatment with braces, mouthguards, plates or trainers.

If you have any alarming symptoms, you should consult a specialist

For bruxism, special mouth guards are made for the patient to help relax the jaw while sleeping. It is also important for patients with bruxism to undergo treatment not only from a dentist, but also from a neurologist, since pathology often occurs with problems of a neurological nature.

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prevention

Kosaeva Sh.K. Chronic aphthous stomatitis in the practice of a dental therapist // Bulletin of the Kazakh National Medical University. – 2014.

Expert “Under no circumstances should you try to cauterize a wound formed after biting your cheek with iodine or brilliant green that is aggressive to the mucous membrane - this can cause burns to delicate tissues. You should not treat the damage with hot solutions, periodically touch it with foreign objects or dirty hands, or warm your cheek - all this contributes to the rapid development of the inflammatory process. There is no need to self-prescribe antibiotics. The best solution is to treat the wound with an antiseptic and simply monitor its condition over time; if unpleasant symptoms intensify, you should consult a doctor.” Dentist-therapist Elina Ruslanovna Dzagurova

Consulting specialist

Dzagurova Elina Ruslanovna

Doctor rating: 9.5 out of 10 (2) Specialization: Dentist-therapist Experience: 10 years

Summary

Cheek biting can sometimes be a harmless accident or the result of a malocclusion, but many people experience chronic cheek biting. Chronic cheek biting is a self-harm-focused, repetitive behavior that is associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Doctors prescribe psychotherapy to help people treat chronic cheek bite. Sometimes people may also need to take medications.

Complications of chronic malocclusion are not only physical. Many people feel shame and low self-esteem as a result of these behaviors, which can lead them to avoid social and career interests.

Another article on the topic: Older people who go to church have good mental health.

Comments

I have a bad habit. When I'm stressed or worried, I constantly bite my cheek and lip. Tired of walking around with wounds, how to get rid of the problem?

Frank (07/12/2020 at 6:44 pm) Reply to comment

Editorial staff of the portal UltraSmile.ru (07/14/2020 at 09:12) Reply to comment

Tell me, let’s say you’re picking mushrooms in the forest and accidentally bite the inside of your lip like that, but you don’t have anything with you at all. Is it possible to use the first herb you come across or a plucked leaf from a tree for antiseptic properties?

Nikolay1962 (08/21/2020 at 09:26) Reply to comment

I correctly understood that in ninety-nine cases, accidental cheek biting is directly related to the teeth. Otherwise, I like to talk with my mouth full during lunch; I constantly bite my tongue, then my lips, then my cheeks.

Olga B. (08/21/2020 at 09:44) Reply to comment

How many times have I already bitten in my life, especially as a child? Now, if I touch my tongue, I feel that there are already such protrusions inside, something like scars. Does it make sense to buy some kind of gel so that there are no consequences if I suddenly bite again?

Marina (08/21/2020 at 10:28 am) Reply to comment

Hello, my question is: is it possible to somehow isolate the wound? With the help of some kind of plaster or something else? I understand that the inside of the cheek is wet and it’s difficult to do this, but maybe there are some ways?

Anna (08/21/2020 at 10:33 am) Reply to comment

With age, I began to bite my lips and cheeks more often for some reason... It’s as if a lump instantly pops up and I bite it. I usually wash the wound with mouthwash - is such disinfection sufficient in principle? Usually the wound goes away in a couple of days.

Andrey (08/21/2020 at 01:21 pm) Reply to comment

I have slightly different injuries, not a bite on my cheek, but a sort of scratched palate or gums after eating (for some reason, after uch-pochmaks there is always some other kind). Why does this happen and how to avoid it?

Maria (08/21/2020 at 01:23 pm) Reply to comment

She bit her cheek and treated the wound with iodine. Doesn't seem to bother me. But, I recently had a tooth removed, and if an infection develops in my mouth there could be complications. How many more times should it be treated and will rinsing, for example, with chamomile decoction help?

Lika (08/21/2020 at 17:40) Reply to comment

I bite my cheek so often and I didn’t even think that such serious consequences could arise! If the wound bleeds, can I use a cotton swab with hydrogen peroxide?

Alexey (09.23.2020 at 12:30) Reply to comment

I bit my cheek and basically forgot about it after about an hour. But after 5-7 days, a lump formed at the site of the bite, on the cheek. What could this be and is it worth contacting a specialist if there is no pain?

Marina (09.23.2020 at 12:35) Reply to comment

My daughter sometimes bites the inside of her cheek, and even small swellings and ulcers appear. Is it possible to use dentamet, which is used for stomatitis, for treatment in such cases?

Natalya (09.23.2020 at 14:02) Reply to comment

While eating, the guy bit his cheeks hard, after which the mucous membrane became very swollen, severe pain appeared, and later swelling. What should we do now, what can we do to treat the mucous membrane of the cheek to relieve the terrible pain?

Meri (09.23.2020 at 14:51) Reply to comment

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Folk remedies

If biting your cheek causes an ulcer to form, you can use folk remedies to eliminate it:

Also read:

How to treat mouth ulcers

milk and chicken yolk (dissolve the yolk and one teaspoon of honey in 100 ml of warm milk; use the prepared product to wipe the affected area several times a day using a cotton swab);
calendula (pour a tablespoon of dried flowers into a glass of boiling water and leave to infuse for an hour; use the finished product to rinse the mouth 3 times a day);
chicken egg white (dissolve 1 white in half a glass of warm water and use as a mouth rinse every few hours);
yarrow (obtain juice from the plant by finely chopping it, mix it with honey and lubricate the affected area with the resulting product, securing it with a cotton pad on top for 20 minutes; carry out the procedure every 3 hours);
cinquefoil root (pour 20 g of raw material into a glass of boiling water and leave to infuse for several hours; the finished product is used to rinse the mouth 4-5 times a day);
salt (pour 1 teaspoon of salt into a glass of warm water, stir and rinse the mouth with the solution several times a day);
thyme (1 tablespoon of the herb is poured with boiling water in a volume of 1 cup and left to infuse for half an hour; strain the finished product and rinse the mouth with it several times a day).

You can rinse your mouth with regular saline solution