There is probably no one who hasn’t experienced biting their cheek while chewing their food. This can happen to anyone occasionally, but when cheek biting occurs more frequently, whether accidentally or intentionally, it can cause serious oral problems and can be due to multiple causes. Causes of Cheek Biting If you find yourself biting your cheeks accidentally on a regular basis, this may be due to misaligned teeth that protrude enough to allow your cheek to get in the way when you bite down on your food. However, many people suffer from chronic cheek biting that can be associated with a psychological disorder, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRD). With chronic cheek biting, a person may even be unaware that they are biting their cheeks, as it has become a coping mechanism for stress and anxiety. How to Stop Biting Your Cheeks There is no need to worry about occasionally biting your cheek when you are eating. Although, you may develop a canker sore if the bite was bad enough. However, if you bite your cheeks accidentally on a regular basis, this is often due to a misaligned bite, also known as a malocclusion. In this case, scheduling a visit to our office is a good idea to determine what we can do to fix your bite. When cheek biting is due to compulsive behavior, the best way to help control it is to replace the habit of cheek biting with other behaviors, such as engaging in deep breathing or chewing sugarless gum when you have a compulsion to bite your cheeks. When severe enough, habitual cheek-biting can lead to lesions, severe discomfort and other oral health problems. If you are biting your cheeks on a regular basis, whether accidentally or intentionally, it’s important to contact our office so we examine your bite to determine if the problem is simply due to malocclusion or perform a full mouth exam to determine the extent of damage due to your cheek biting,