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Nervous tick - sucking air through teeth repeatedly

Greetings,

My 50 year old sister has a habit/tick that is quite odd. She is repeatedly and sporatically sucking air through her teeth making a sucking sound interspersed between sentances in a conversation.
She wore a teeth retainer as a young adult. She also used methanphedamine as a work stimulant regularly through the ages of 25 and 30. The frequency and intensity has increased over the years.
Could this be a neurological disorder? Or some other disorder, or a psycological condition or just a bad habit.
Has anyone seen this before?
Thank you in advance.
JS
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Avatar universal
My Mom does that exact same thing. She also has a habit of clearing her throat loudly along with it. She has done it since I can remember. She has been very stressed out and nervous lately because my dad has been in the hospital so she does it incessently. When she is relaxed she does it much less often. My brother and sister and I have noticed that it is constantly going on lately and that's what prompted me to look it up on-line.
My Mom doesn't have any neurological disorders. We've always just considered it to be a habit or a tick.
When I was a kid I used to always know where she was when I would get lost in a store because I could hear her sucking air through her teeth and clearing her throat : ) It is very loud and high-pitched.
I know it can annoy other people but my family and I are used to it.
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1 Comments
Wow thank you for this.  I was searching for some answers for myself because I have developed this habit myself as of late (and currently doing it now!).  A mention I need to add, in my experience, I only do this when I have cracked or broken a filling in my molars.  My only thoughts would be from constantly trying to suck food out of these spots where I have lost a filling.  But it has become more that that time me.  It is more of a sensation high now, because the very unique feeling it brings. Makes me wonder if that’s why I’m popping the fillings… because even after having my teeth repaired… Im subconsciously and constantly looking for and trying to feel that/this! Sensation over and over again.  Woof.  
Avatar universal
My 6 year old son has started doing this recently.  He does it mainly in the evening, repeatedly.  When I ask him to stop he says "it feels weird if I don't do it".  At the same time he started waking at night disoriented, shaky, confused, distressed, whining and inconsolable.  Any ideas?  I found something about anemia....
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368886 tn?1466235284
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello.

Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant. Have you observed your sister to be talking more than needed? If yes, she probably has developed this habit from the meth.

Do you observe any other behavioral changes in her? Is her routine different than what it used to be a few days or months back?

Tics may develop at this age, too. There are certain characteristics of tics. They are unintended actions, occur almost throughout the waking hours, can be controlled voluntarily for some time and the person tell you that he/she has a discomfort due to the tics.

Sorry for the number of questions.

Regards

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