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.

What Might Cause Tongue-Biting in MS?

Everyone has accidentally bitten their tongue a few times. If a person with MS bites their tongues more frequently 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 people with MS to bite their tongues — or other parts of their mouths — more frequently.

1. Dysphagia

One possible cause is dysphagia, a term that describes problems with swallowing. Some people with MS struggle to swallow 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
• Having difficulty controlling liquid or saliva in the mouth
• Choking, sputtering, or coughing while eating or drinking
• Feeling like food gets stuck in the mouth or the throat

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

2. Motor Problems Related to Dysarthria

Dysarthria is another potential cause of tongue-biting. Dysarthria refers to damage to areas in your brain that control speech. Since the tongue is essential for speaking, motor issues causing dysarthria could also make you more prone to biting your tongue.

If MS has affected the muscles in your mouth or tongue, you may experience 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 also 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 your likeliehood of biting your tongue, especially if you don’t notice the numbness or if your face isn’t entirely numb. This is similar to the sensation you may experience after a dentist numbs your mouth during 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:

• Epileptic seizures or seizures from other medical conditions
• Misaligned teeth
• Stress
• Psychological issues
• Oral cancer
• Coordination problems
• Chewing differently to avoid 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 when you develop new or suspected symptoms. They can help evaluate your treatment regimen to decide if you want to stay on it or try something else that might work better for you. Your doctor can work with you to create a plan to manage any symptoms you’re having.

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 accidentally biting your tongue.

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

• Avoiding distractions, like conversations, your phone, or the television
• Cutting your food into smaller pieces
• Taking small sips of water between bites to help your 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 shared, “I remembered something else that helps: eating soft foods. Yogurt, oatmeal, mashed potatoes, and smoothies (to name a few).”

Although you may enjoy meal-time 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 you need to use to avoid biting your tongue. Even if some muscles have been damaged or weakened by MS, maintaining good posture can help you use any retained muscle tone to your best advantage.

3. Try Speech Therapy

You can strengthen the muscles of your mouth, tongue, and throat the same way you can strengthen any other muscles. Speech therapists are the right health care professionals to help you do this. If you struggle with swallowing, then swallowing therapy may help you with those issues and with biting your tongue less frequently. You will 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 of these treatment options you want to try first and then evaluate how effective the treatment is for you.

Find Your Team

On MyMSTeam, the social network for people with MS and their loved ones, more than 216,000 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with MS.

Do you bite your tongue regularly? Do you struggle with other mouth and throat motor problems related to MS? You can talk about your experiences with these issues and ask questions on your Activities page.