Why do we bite our lips? What are the causes and how is it treated?

A compulsive behavior such as lip biting, it is very difficult to go unnoticed. The issue is that, according to experts, lip biting has its causes, physical and psychological, while despite the... legends there is a way to deal with it, depending on the characteristics of each person.

Most people bite their lips due to high stress. But it's very easy for lip biting to turn into compulsive behavior, which is very likely to affect your quality of life for the worse, of course. In order to deal with it, however, it would be good to first know what is causing it.

What are the causes?
There are some organic issues that are most likely to lead a person to bite their lips, especially while they may be talking or chewing. In this case, the cause is... orthodontic, that is, it has to do with the shape or position of the teeth in the mouth, or it has to do with the muscles of your jaws, specifically the masticatory muscles. In this case, a dentist can give you the solution, either by removing some teeth or placing a special device in your mouth.

In other cases, the causes may be psychological. Lip biting comes as a reaction to an emotional state of great fear or intense anxiety. If this condition leads to a deterioration of the quality of life, a psychologist can recommend the appropriate treatment.

However, in any case, whether the causes are psychological or physical, lip biting can cause you harm, such as a sore wound, inflammation, swelling or redness.

How will you deal with it?
Since the problem is, as mentioned above, dental, then it is treated at the source, i.e. with help from your doctor. If the causes are psychological, then you should contact a specialist (psychologist, psychotherapist) so that they can recommend the appropriate behavioral therapy. The most common is cognitive-behavioral therapy. This approach focuses on modifying specific behaviors by identifying their causes. Step by step, it allows the sufferer to change their behavior and unconscious actions, such as lip biting.

Other forms of psychotherapy, such as dialectical behavior therapy, help regulate anxious feelings through emotional acceptance and meditation techniques. In cases of severe anxiety, depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder, a mental health professional can advise you on the medication you should follow.