A maxillary lip bumper used to manage labial self-mutilation

The repair of facial self-mutilation often fails if the reconstruction is not protected. The authors report a case of a lip self-mutilation treated by an orthodontic device: the "lip bumper". A four-year-old patient presented with self-mutilation of the lower lip in a context of multiple malformations. The defect concerned two third of the lower lip. The treatment combined antibiotics, local care, psychiatric management and a lip bumper. The evolution was favorable without need for secondary reconstruction. The lip bumper is a simple orthodontic device. It pushes the lower lip away from the dental arch. It is used to stop the pattern "agitation-mutilation-infection".