Compulsive behaviour of running tongue over teeth

[Here2Talk]

Hi all,

I think a couple of my bottom front teeth moved slightly or removed some plaque when I was flossing last night and caused a sharp edge along the gum line behind the two front bottom teeth, now my tongue has been grinding against it for a whole day whenever I am conscious. I went to the dentist thinking they could remove it but they gave it a clean and basically said they can’t see anything else... just concerned that I won’t be able to stop this.... haven’t been able to so far... anyone else had a weird compulsive habit that spontaneously developed and got over it? Sounds stupid but I can’t seem to think about much else ..

Cheers.

[geoff]

Hello Here2Talk, this is not 'stupid' to talk about at all, especially if you are suffering from OCD, people who don't have this illness, wonder why people do these types of obsessions/compulsions, but if you do suffer from it then it's totally believable.

What happened to me was a similar case where a tooth half broke off, leaving a sharp existing part of the tooth and my tongue kept rubbing against it, cutting my tongue, it was on the weekend so I couldn't get to a dentist, so I got a file and gently flattened the sharp point.

I have OCD and understand what you're saying and once the sharp edge had gone I stopped rubbing my tongue against it.

Geoff.

[Here2Talk]

Hi Geoff,

Thanks for the reply. It seems to be calming down now, hopefully it stays on this trajectory. For a full 24 hours my tongue was there every 2 minutes... It’s amazing how things feel like they will never end. Read about some folks after posting here that have suffered the exact same problem with their tongue for prolonged periods - some years.... my problems have always been centred around generalised anxiety which is centred around avoidance more than compulsion so something immediate and resembling ocd traits is very.... threatening.

how long have you suffered from OCD Geoff? Is it manageable for you now?