How To Ease Oral Fixation

If you’re currently in the process of quitting, then you know the struggle is real when it comes to having an oral fixation (sometimes known as a biting fixation). See what oral fixation is and what you can do to substitute potentially unhealthy behaviors such as cigarettes.

What is an oral or biting fixation?

An oral fixation which describes a behavior where one has a need to hold something in their mouth. In adults, it can manifest in a need to always be chewing gum, eating or drinking and smoking cigarettes or using e-cigarettes.1,3

In the field of psychological development, the oral stage is one of the vital developmental behaviors during the first 18 months of a baby’s life.2 At this stage, they will naturally be interested in sucking on a bottle, breastfeeding and biting or chewing on various objects or foods.2

Oral fixation is among the personality traits that may reveal themselves in adolescence and later adulthood.2 Some signs of oral fixation include:2

  • nail-biting
  • constant eating or drinking
  • thumb sucking
  • talking too much

One of the most common forms of oral fixation is smoking cigarettes or using nicotine pouches.3 The latter are smokeless oral pouches that contain a powder of nicotine, flavorings, and other ingredients.7,8 Marketed as smokeless products (similar to chewing tobacco), the side effects of nicotine pouches include gum irritation, sore mouth, hiccups, nausea and nicotine addiction.8 Their short- and long-term health impacts are still unknown, and there are no FDA-approved nicotine pouches designed to help people quit smoking.7

Oral fixation alternatives

If you’re looking to quit smoking, this psychological factor might be an impediment to your goal. Fortunately, it can be overcome with help from healthier substitutions. From hard candy to healthy snacks and beyond, there’s a strategy here for every smoker. Instead of reaching for a cigarette, try these oral fixation alternatives:

Gum, Mints and Hard Candy

Stock up on cigarette substitutes from the candy aisle such as breath mints, hard candy and lollipops.4 Chewing gum gives your mouth something to do to resist a tobacco craving, so you can ensure that you stay satisfied.5 Nicorette Gum is a great way to help you control your nicotine intake while replacing the oral fixation of smoking. Made with a special formula to help you gradually kick your smoking habit, it provides the pleasant relief of chewing that you can enjoy throughout the day.

Vegetable Sticks

Celery, carrot sticks and cucumbers make great cigarette substitutions because they’re full of vitamins and minerals.9 That means you can grab them and snack whenever you’d typically smoke without worrying about making an unhealthy choice. Dips like hummus or your favorite fresh nut butter are a perfect complement for some extra flavor.

Toothpicks

Keep your mouth busy by chewing on a toothpick, straw, or stir stick.6 It can help you replace the feeling of having an object in your mouth that isn’t a cigarette.6 Be careful not to mindlessly swallow the toothpick while it’s in your mouth!

Nicotine Coated Lozenges

One way to manage your nicotine needs is by using Nicorette Lozenges—a fast-acting aid for quitting smoking provide fast craving relief in 3 minutes.* They provide long-lasting and discreet craving relief and address oral fixation anytime you’re on the go. In fact, when using 9 or more lozenges per day, Nicorette triples your chances of quitting.* They’re also available in a portable mini version that you can throw in a purse or put in your pocket to help relieve sudden cravings fast. Anytime. Anywhere. Try Nicorette’s classic lozenges or mini lozenges.

These lozenges can be part of an overall Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) program. This is the most widely used smoking cessation medications, with a large body of evidence that indicates its efficacy and safety.3 In fact, participants have reported how the ritual of putting a nicotine replacement lozenge in one's mouth allowed them to stick to this new habit.3

NRT products like Nicorette Lozenges or Gum can help replace cigarettes or smokeless nicotine for oral fixation. Remember: it doesn’t matter how long you smoked before you decided to quit; what matters is that you follow through on that decision. Set yourself up for success by having these oral fixation substitutes handy throughout the day to say goodbye to cigarettes once and for all.

*4mg lozenge vs placebo

Sources
  1. A good method of quitting smoking’ or ‘just an alternative to smoking’? Comparative evaluations of e-cigarette and traditional cigarette usage by dual users. National Library of Medicine.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5298535/. Accessed 2/11/2025.
  2. Freud’s Psychosexual Theory and 5 Stages of Human Development. https://www.simplypsychology.org/psychosexual.html/. Accessed 2/11/2025.
  3. A qualitative analysis of nicotine replacement therapy uptake, consistent use, and persistence among primary care patients who smoke. National Library of Medicine. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9948942/. Accessed 2/11/2025.
  4. How To Quit Smoking: 7 Ways to Kick the Habit. Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/quitting-smoking/. Accessed 2/12/2025.
  5. Quitting smoking: 10 ways to resist tobacco cravings. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/quit-smoking/in-depth/nicotine-craving/art-20045454/. Accessed 2/12/2025.
  6. Help for Cravings and Tough Situations While You're Quitting Tobacco. American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/tobacco/guide-quitting-smoking/quitting-smoking-help-for-cravings-and-tough-situations.html/. Accessed 2/13/2025.
  7. Nicotine Pouches. Centers for Disease Control. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/nicotine-pouches/index.html/. Accessed 2/13/2025.
  8. Nicotine pouches: Are they safer than chewing, smoking or vaping? University of Nebraska-Lincoln Health Center. https://health.unl.edu/nicotine-pouches-are-they-safer-chewing-smoking-or-vaping/. Accessed 2/13/2025.
  9. Nutrition Information for Raw Vegetables. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-food-labeling-and-critical-foods/nutrition-information-raw-vegetables/. Accessed 2/12/2025.

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