How can I stop biting my lip so much?

April 29, 2006 8:45 PM

How can I stop biting my lip so much?

I have no idea what my problem is, but in the past few months I've started biting my lip about once a week. And we're not talking like a quick little pinch...we're talking about my lip starts bleeding a lot and then turns into a huge ulcer that hangs around for another week...just in time for me to bite my lip again.

So what can I do to keep this from happening? I usually bite my lip when I'm eating.

posted by JPigford to health & fitness (12 comments total)

Sometimes it's a lack of concentration, e.g., trying to eat and talk at the same time.
If it persists, see your dentist to get your bite checked out.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:30 PM on April 29, 2006

Often your bite will change if wisdom teeth are starting to come in - this happened to my boyfriend. If you haven't had yours out already, get an xray to see if that could be the problem. Similarly, if you just had your wisdom teeth removed recently, that would also cause more mis-biting.
posted by piers at 9:46 PM on April 29, 2006

The first thing that comes to mind is chapstick. It'd be a bit cumbersome to have to constantly apply it, but it might work.

The second thing I might suggest, though it is a bit more intensive, is seeking out a therapist who is skilled with
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy techniques.
posted by Effigy2000 at 11:27 PM on April 29, 2006

Effigy2000, I think you're misinterpreting the question...the poster isn't absentmindedly biting his/her lip, but rather is accidently doing so once in a while.
posted by apple scruff at 11:52 PM on April 29, 2006

Yeah, I wasn't sure. If your interpretation is correct, I think the chapstick would be the best solution.
posted by Effigy2000 at 12:03 AM on April 30, 2006

What should you do? - you mean other than just being more careful?
Do you think there's an underlying physical or psychological reason why youre doing it?
posted by jak68 at 12:59 AM on April 30, 2006

Do you have any numbness in the lips, part of the mouth or any other part of your face? Perhaps you haven't noticed it before. Take a small pin, and lightly touch (not stroke) different parts of your face to see. Don't poke your eye out, of course.
posted by randomstriker at 1:15 AM on April 30, 2006

Some people love chapstick, so maybe it works well for other people, but I've found that it's better for protecting lips from further damage than for softening and soothing chapped, broken lips. I like cocoa butter for this-I've always used something like this. I wouldn't rub it directly into a bad cut, but it works really well. A little greasier than chapstick, but not as much as vaseline, so if you tend to have major breakouts around the mouth you might want to skip it also. It also has a good taste for a chapstick replacement-good enough to not bother you(it is cocoa butter after all), not so good you want to eat the whole stick.
posted by Juliet Banana at 1:35 AM on April 30, 2006

I do this when I get stressed. I start biting and sucking one side of my lip, then within a day or so it's chapped and hurts (almost stinging). I find bonjela helps relieve the irritation immensely (if not the swelling). It's usually gone within a day.

I don't know how you can stop the sucking, but this is best I can do. I fell your pain!
posted by John Shaft at 1:58 AM on April 30, 2006

If you mean biting the inside of your lip as might happen during eating, wherein the area swells up, then it's even easier to re-bite it, thus aggravating said injury... I don't know.

Maybe try holding an ice cube against the bit area as soon as it's been bitten initially? With my husband and myself, it's the damn swelling that's the problem, as it leads to accidentally biting the area again in about three days.

What I tell my husband, who currently has an owie-spot from this, is to slow down a little while eating, and maybe don't eat and watch TV at the same time. Still, it's easy to accidentally misbite. I'm going with an icecube against the area as soon as you do it the first time.
posted by Savannah at 8:04 AM on April 30, 2006

"I usually bite my lip when I'm eating."

Folks, this person isn't asking for help with a nervous lip-sucking habit. They're asking for help with a bit lip while eating.
posted by majick at 11:10 AM on April 30, 2006

I would suggest you find a really good dentist and book an appointment. Accidentally biting your lip may be a sign of a tooth/jaw alignment problem, and the cost to fix is directly proportional to the time you wait before... uh... biting the bullet. I know from experience with other dental problems.
posted by hammurderer at 7:22 PM on April 30, 2006