Marianne0558
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Joined: 10 Sep 2007
Posts: 1641
Location: Charleston, SC USA
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Making My Gums Bleed
Posted: 09-11-07 10:13am
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Sounds sick, huh?
I've been picking at my gums for as long
as I can remember. It started in childhood
with my fingernails. I would scrape at and
poke the corners of my gums where my teeth
meet until they bled. It didn't even
hurt-it felt good. Now that I am 23, the
habit is even worse. I can sit here for
hours picking at my teeth. They don't even
bleed anymore. I use whatever is small,
sharp, and pointed. From thumb tacks,
knives, the prongs on a fork, straws,
toothpicks, nail files, I could go on
forever.
I am really worried that my teeth will
eventually start to fall out because the
gums are beginning to disappear. The weird
thing about it is my teeth are relatively
healthy other than that. I take good care
of them, brush and floss them regularly,
whiten them.
I started thinking today that this was
definitely a psychological problem but
I've never heard of anyone else having the
same problem.
I've tried to use orajel too. It doesn't
work. The tingling feels good, then I feel
then need to poke. I put orajel on the
tool and jam it into my gums. It just
feels good, I don't even know how to
explain it. The best way I can describe it
is it feels like an itch that I HAVE to
scratch.
Wish someone could help.
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Dannzibelle
Supporter
Joined: 23 Oct 2006
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Location: South East, England
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Posted: 09-11-07 12:17pm
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I did the exact same thing when i was
younger. i still like doing it now
actually, i can go without doing it but
sometimes when i'm in bed and can't go to
sleep i lay there and pick with my
fingernails
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Scorpiomarie
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Posts: 31
Location: Welwyn Garden City, UK, England
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Posted: 10-10-07 10:40am
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1 of my freinds has the same problem, she
just picks at her gums and sometimes makes
them bleed cos it feels good.
but i think she might have stopped that
now. 
good luck.
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Bob M
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Posts: 7
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Posted: 11-05-07 18:19pm
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Marianne0558, I have done this since I was
young, My gums have receded really bad. I
used to do this is school when I would get
nervous. Your post is the first that I
have ever been able to find on this. I
quess I`m not the only one. PS. I am male
and 64 years old.
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Marianne0558
Supporter
Joined: 10 Sep 2007
Posts: 1641
Location: Charleston, SC USA
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Posted: 11-05-07 18:28pm
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Bob, has the problem gotten any better for
you over the years?
I have been doing this since I was very
young and now I am 24.
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Bob M
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Posts: 7
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Gums
Posted: 11-06-07 07:05am
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Marianne,
It has gotten a little better over the
years but the urge is still there. I try
not to think about it although just
talking about it brings back the urge. Ha!
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Marianne0558
Supporter
Joined: 10 Sep 2007
Posts: 1641
Location: Charleston, SC USA
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Posted: 11-06-07 08:30am
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Yeah, I hear you! I have the urge now too.
I usually find myself starting to pick up
a toothpick right after I eat anything. I
can feel something between my teeth, then
I just keep picking and picking until they
bleed. It feels good, I don't know why.
Hopefully my daughter won't learn this
habit from me-she's only 1 and 1/2 though.
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Bob M
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Posts: 7
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Posted: 11-06-07 08:52am
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My daughter is 44 and chews on her check
but thats all.
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Marianne0558
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Posts: 1641
Location: Charleston, SC USA
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Posted: 11-06-07 08:53am
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Dang, I do that too sometimes....
There's all kinds of ripples on the
insides of my cheeks...
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Bob M
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Posts: 7
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Posted: 11-06-07 08:56am
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I do it too but it doesn`t feel as good as
my gums do.
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Bob M
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Posts: 7
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Posted: 11-06-07 09:01am
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I don`t really think there is anything
wrong with us. I am pretty successful and
have a nice family. I think everyone has
some kind of thing they do when they get
nervous. I just wish I didn`t do gums. I
guess it is something we have to live
with. It could be alot worse.
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Marianne0558
Supporter
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Posts: 1641
Location: Charleston, SC USA
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Posted: 11-06-07 09:12am
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Of course it could be a lot worse... I'm
just worried my teeth will eventually fall
out and I'll have dentures at 30.
My husband was going to get me lumineers
at some point because I'm self-conscious
about a front-tooth gap, but I'm scared I
would ruin those too.
Of course I'd rather pick my gums than
some of the other things people do out of
habit, but we are causing serious damage
to our teeth...
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Bob M
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Posts: 7
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Posted: 11-06-07 09:45am
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i don`t know if my other message was sent
or not so here goes again. I never picked
at my upper very much. I don`t have any
gums below my corner bottom teeth and they
haven`t fell out. So take heart. I picked
up a habit in 1977 and started chewing
snuff and that really felt good on my
gums, but it ate my gums up. A dentist
told me that if I didn`t quit, he would be
taking my jaw off within 5 years do to
cancer. I know that is gross but I want
you to feel better about yourself. Now
don`t start that habit. I don`t imagine
your husband would appreciate that. Ha.
I`m lucky I still have my wife after that
habit.
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Marianne0558
Supporter
Joined: 10 Sep 2007
Posts: 1641
Location: Charleston, SC USA
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Posted: 11-06-07 09:51am
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I don't think that will be a habit I will
be taking up...
Although I do smoke.
Have you heard of Freud's
Personality-Development stages?
In the oral stage (birth to 18 months),
infants, who depend completely on other
people to satisfy their needs, experience
pleasure by sucking and swallowing; when
their baby teeth come in, they obtain
pleasure from chewing and biting.
He went on to talk about those who were
not stimulated enough in this stage go on
to be smokers and such.
Do you think this could be a probable
cause of why we pick?
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Marianne0558
Supporter
Joined: 10 Sep 2007
Posts: 1641
Location: Charleston, SC USA
Thanks: 36
Thanked:5
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Posted: 11-06-07 09:52am
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My ex-boyfriend used to chew as well. I
didn't want to even kiss him when he was
using. Good for you that you quit. I've
seen the horrors of what gum cancer can do
to people.
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Bob M
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Posts: 7
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Posted: 11-06-07 10:27am
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I used to smoke also and then went to
chewing.
I thing I have always wondered is I was
raised in a very strict home and my dad
was pretty hard on me as a child and I
think maybe I picked for comfort and that
was how I dealt with it.
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PenguinsRus
Moderator
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Posts: 1181
Location: New York, NY United States
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Posted: 11-06-07 13:40pm
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I used to do that. If you are looking for
help, here are two things that helped me
to stop:
1) I put on a clear retainer. It was
clear so nobody knew I was wearing it, but
it covered my gums so I would not be able
to get to them.
2) paint your fingernails with a
specialized nail polish made for nail
biters. It is clear, and it tastes
TERRIBLE. It is made so that when nail
biters go to put their fingers in their
mouth, the taste makes them instantly take
their fingers out of their mouth. It
works essentially same way. As soon as I
put my hands in my mouth to pick, the
terrible taste of the polish made me take
them out just as fast.
Good luck! You aren't alone.
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crazyright
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 15 Feb 2008
Posts: 1
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make my gums bleed
Posted: 02-15-08 03:36am
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I do the same thing, it sometimes hurts
but feels good too wierd huh?! I poke with
my nails or anything pointed i even use
high water pressure from my shower and put
the pressure right on my gums. I guess I
would say it feels like they itch. I dont
know why this happens but i cant stop.
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