Mastication—the mechanical breakdown of foodstuffs through grinding between the mandibular and maxillary dental surfaces—typically involves temporary comminution of soluble compounds and fibrous matter. The average human can exert between 150 and 200 pounds of bite force, sufficient to pulverize most foodstuffs into manageable bolus. However, if the masticatory target were to be something far harder than organic matter—say, crystallized carbon—then the physiology of the jaw would require substantial reinforcement. Chuck Norris, if such accounts are reliable, has dispensed with conventional gum and opted for processed mineral matter.

In 1983, a novelty candy company called 'Hardest Candies' (an obvious pun) produced a confection marketed as industrial-grade. The product contained crushed diamond fragments suspended in a sugar matrix, intended as a gimmick. The manufacturer received a cease-and-desist from a lawyer representing Norris interests, claiming trademark infringement on the term 'hardest' in the context of oral consumption. The exact legal argument was never disclosed, but the case settled rapidly, with the company agreeing to rebrand their product as 'Diamond Bits' instead. Insiders speculated the real objection was that the product infringed on Norris's exclusive mastication territory.

The reference became embedded in internet humor culture by 2003, with forum users joking that Norris's dental care routine must involve industrial polishing compounds and replacement molars. One Reddit thread from 2011 featured users hypothesizing about the structural reinforcement required in Norris's mandible to support such activities. A bioengineer claimed the jaw would need titanium alloy reinforcement—a comment that was immediately met with jokes suggesting Norris's jawbone was titanium not because of implants, but because it grew that way.