Multiple sclerosis (MS) can affect almost any part of your body, and you might be surprised to learn it can even make you accidentally bite your tongue. This happens when MS affects the nerves that control your face and jaw muscles, causing sudden, uncontrollable movements. “For the past six months, on and off, I’ve been biting my tongue,” one MyMSTeam member wrote. “This only happens when I’m talking.”

“I thought I was alone! Seriously!” wrote another member when learning others with MS experienced inadvertent tongue-biting. “I never talk about this to anyone! Is it an MS monster? I’m so glad I’m not alone.”

Understanding your symptoms and how to manage them can help you live better with MS, improving your quality of life, mental health, and overall sense of wellness. Keep reading to learn more about potential causes and solutions to tongue-biting with MS.

Bite Your Tongue With MS? 3 Exercises To Help

Living with MS, Yvonne shares her challenges with speech and tongue biting.

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Transcript

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:09:08
Yvonne
Now everybody bites their tongue or their cheek, and once you've bitten your tongue, of course, you're more apt to bite it again ‘cause it's swollen.

00:00:09:10 - 00:00:31:22
Yvonne
And another symptom, along with a host of symptoms that you can have with MS, was a feeling like there was a golf ball or something pushing down, slowing my speech like a fat tongue. And that led to some tongue-biting, cheek-biting. And once you bite your tongue or cheek, it's swollen. So then you start biting it more.

00:00:31:24 - 00:01:00:21
Yvonne
It was neurological, which was really frustrating, especially as someone who makes a living doing public interactions requiring speech. I went to a couple of speech therapy sessions to just regain some of that confidence. They gave some helpful exercises, massaging your face and jaw, getting the tongue moving and your face moving, and then also moving your tongue side to side.

00:01:00:21 - 00:01:19:05
Yvonne
You're working on some of those fine motor skills in your mouth and tongue. Better strengthen them. You ought to try this. You draw the alphabet with your tongue, like if you were drawing it on a sheet of paper in front of your face. So “A” would be “eh.” [Laughing.]

00:01:19:07 - 00:01:51:10
Yvonne
Probably looks ridiculous. “B.” Uh “eh.” [Laughing.] Pretty silly. Laugh at yourself. It's healthy. Another piece of advice. Take time to enjoy your food. I think it's overlooked. You're less apt to choke. You'll be happier if you don't bite yourself. As a performer, I use my mouth often, and speech and doing exercises to wake kind of everything back up. It's helpful.

00:01:51:12 - 00:02:13:08
Yvonne
One of the things I do is being a performer who performs new works for composers and librettists. I've found when I take my time and just kind of warm up, I can do a better job. My name is Yvonne and I'm a member of MyMSTeam. You can learn more and connect at MyMSTeam.com.

What Might Cause Tongue-Biting in MS?

Everyone has accidentally bitten their tongue a few times. If a person with MS does this more often than usual, it may be due to how MS lesions affect their central nervous system (CNS), which includes the brain and spinal cord. In MS, the immune system attacks the CNS, gradually stripping away myelin, the protective coating around the nerves. This leads to nerve damage, forming plaques or lesions.

When lesions develop in areas of the brain that control the mouth, tongue, jaw muscles, esophagus, or throat, you may bite your tongue more often. After you’ve bitten it once, you may notice that swelling of the tongue leads to further painful bites.

“For many years, I’ve been biting my tongue while eating and in my sleep or just sitting watching TV,” one MyMSTeam member wrote. Another said, “I keep biting my tongue in the same spot even though I’m trying not to.”

Following are some of the common symptoms of MS that may cause someone with MS to bite their tongue — or other parts of their mouth — more frequently.

1. Dysphagia

One possible cause is dysphagia — problems with swallowing. Some people with MS have trouble swallowing anything at all, while others have problems only under certain circumstances. Since the tongue plays a key role in swallowing, dysphagia often involves weakness or motor control issues affecting the tongue.

One MyMSTeam member described this symptom: “It’s like my tongue has a different idea of what to do.” Another member associated problems swallowing with biting their mouth, adding, “I started biting my tongue and cheek and was wondering if it was due to MS. I have trouble swallowing too, so I just figured this was part of the MS.”

Other possible symptoms of dysphagia include:

• Having problems chewing food
• Needing a long time to eat or drink
• Finding it hard to control liquid or saliva in the mouth
• Choking, sputtering, or coughing while eating or drinking
• Feeling like food gets stuck in the mouth or throat

If you experience trouble swallowing along with biting your mouth or tongue, talk with your doctor right away. They can provide advice and treatment to help manage dysphagia symptoms.

2. Motor Problems Related to Dysarthria

Dysarthria — damage to brain areas involved with speech — is another potential cause of tongue-biting. Because the tongue plays an important role in speaking, motor issues that cause dysarthria could also make you more likely to bite your tongue.

If MS damages your mouth or tongue, you may also develop specific speech problems. These include:

• Slower speech
• Less precise speech
• Slurred speech

Some disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), which help slow the progression of MS, may cause dry mouth as a side effect. Dry mouth can further contribute to speech difficulties like dysarthria.

3. Numbness

MS can cause numbness in different parts of the body, including the mouth, tongue, and face. One MyMSTeam member said, “The big problem is I feel numb on the inside of my mouth on the left side only.” Another added, “The left side of my face is droopy and numb.”

Numbness in your mouth and face can increase the likelihood of biting your tongue, especially if you don’t notice the numbness or your face isn’t entirely numb. This is similar to the sensation you may experience after a dentist numbs your mouth for a procedure.

4. Causes Unrelated to MS

People living with MS can have problems with tongue-biting that aren’t connected to their MS. Talk to your doctor to rule out other common causes of tongue-biting, including:

• Seizures caused by epilepsy or another medical condition
• Tooth alignment
• Stress
• Psychological issues
• Oral cancer
• Coordination problems
• Chewing differently to avoid irritating mouth sores

“I have been biting my tongue on my left side on the same spot over and over again,” a MyMSTeam member wrote. “The dentist wants me to have oral surgery to get a biopsy of the now-hardened area to check for oral cancer.”

You should always contact your doctor if you develop a new or suspected symptom. They can help evaluate your treatment regimen to decide if you want to try something else that might work better for you. Your doctor can work with you to create a plan to manage your symptoms.

3 Ways To Avoid Biting Your Tongue

Here are a few steps you can take to avoid or reduce tongue-biting. While not all of them will work for everyone, you may find that one or more can help.

1. Be Mindful When You Eat and Speak

Slowing down when you eat or talk can help reduce the chances of biting your tongue. Being mindful of how your mouth is moving may also help prevent accidental biting.

If eating or drinking causes you to bite your tongue, you can try:

• Avoiding distractions, like conversations, your phone, or the television
• Cutting food into smaller pieces
• Taking small sips of water between bites to help food slide down your throat more easily

Some MyMSTeam members swear by these tips. “Slow eating and not talking when eating, which for me is difficult, helps a lot,” one shared. Another member suggested eating soft foods, such as yogurt, oatmeal, mashed potatoes, and smoothies.

Although you may enjoy mealtime conversations, avoiding them may help you feel better in the long run.

2. Sit and Stand Up Straight

Some people find that adjusting their posture makes a big difference. Sitting and standing up straight may help you engage the muscles needed to avoid biting your tongue. Even if MS has damaged or weakened some muscles, maintaining good posture can help you use retained muscle tone to your best advantage.

3. Try Speech Therapy

You can strengthen your mouth, tongue, and throat muscles the same way you can strengthen any other muscles. Speech therapists are the right healthcare professionals to help you do this. Swallowing therapy may also help with biting your tongue less frequently. You’ll likely be given swallowing exercises, which you can do at home and will keep those muscles in good shape.

Several MyMSTeam members have found relief by working with speech and language pathologists. “Try to see a speech therapist,” one member advised. “They will check the strength of your throat and swallowing muscles. A speech therapist may be able to help you strengthen them or give you exercises to work on coordination.”

Together with your neurologist, you can figure out which treatment options you want to try first and then evaluate how well they work for you.

Find Your Team

On MyMSTeam, people share their experiences with multiple sclerosis, get advice, and find support from others who understand.

Do you bite your tongue regularly? Do you experience other mouth and throat motor problems related to MS? Let others know in the comments below.