I know this is gonna sound weird and gross to a lot of people, but I have a bit of a biting/chewing habit. This ranges from gum to pens to any DS stylus available, to my own nails and dead bits of skin <- (That one's REALLY gross so don't hover unless you're brave). And when I have nothing, I tend to just grind my teeth. Obviously none of this is terribly healthy, but I don't really wanna chew gum everyday either seein' as that will quickly wear out my tooth enamel. Soooo does anyone know a chewable something that's mostly innocuous? The more durable the better 'cause I'll bite the f██k out of it.
I feel as though this is too simple and obvious an answer, but what about gum? If you need something more durable than regular store-bought gum, I found this online. I haven't tried it myself.
I mean it could definitely help on occasion, but it's not an everyday thing and... this is definitely an everyday habit, haha.
I don't really see anything unhealthy about your current habits, personally, but we get two boxes of Capri Suns every shopping for the week, and I'll chew on the straws for extended periods of time. Although I haven't done it since my wisdom teeth were removed because of my jaw problems. But yeah, you could give chewing any kind of straws a try.
Well the issue with mechanical things is I tend to chew right through 'em, which has rendered some of them unusable. As for the bits and nails, it's just unhygienic, I know it's unhygienic, but knowledge alone doesn't overcome the compulsion. The straw idea's not bad though, thanks.
Gum really might be your only option, aside from perhaps employing some habit breaking tendencies. I'm no psychologist but I have a friend with a similar problem which she has told me is called an oral fixation. Freud wrote a lot of junk about it and connected it to breastfeeding (because it's Freud), but gum is probably the healthiest option. Sugar free gums are better for your tooth enamel, particularly those that use the sugar substitute xylitol rather than sorbitol (based on what my friend has told me). If you can, asking a (trusted) dentist for gum recommendations might be your best choice.
I have the same habit as yoy, and all I can suggest is to keep your hands busy as much as you can, and you'll stop. Doodle, or type, or even just look through a book and flip pages. It's certainly helped me stop doing it as often as before.
