Obsessive and nonstop teeth tapping and scratching

9% Normal
3 Comments

My little sister (age 9) has developed this habit of violently tapping and rapidly scratching her own teeth. To me, it seems extremely unusual and there may be only one or two other people out there who do this, if any at all.

She uses her pointer finger to tap her 2 front teeth, making a very loud click/tap noise. She usually taps at around 3 taps per second.

She also aligns every fingernail except for the thumb's and then rapidly scratches the 2 front teeth, like it is a file. This very rapid, back and forth scratching makes a distinct noise similar to the sound of a saw cutting plastic.

This tooth-abuse has caused her to get a massive overbite and and her 2 front teeth are not only growing outwards, but apart from each other, with a gap measuring about 4 mm.

Sometimes, she gets in trouble for this and when she wants to tap/scratch but others are around, she looks very distressed. Also, she likes to use small, hard plastic objects to tap them, making an even louder noise.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH HER?! IIN?

Voting Results
9% Normal
Based on 47 votes (4 yes)
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Comments ( 3 )
  • squirrelgirl
    13 years ago

    I don't know a lot about your sister or her history from what you've mentioned, but she may have OCD or even an autism spectrum disorder, as obsessive and repetitive behavior are common in both. I suggest talking to a child psychologist about this behavior, especially since it's affecting her orthodontic health so severely.

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  • Neapolitana
    11 years ago

    She definitely needs to see a child psych like, today. Yesterday, really.

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  • derker
    12 years ago

    FUCK now I can't stop doing that!

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