Nail biting is a fairly common habit, and the news we’re going to give you today is that it can lead to unexpected complications. Those who bite their nails are statistically the youngest, especially children and adolescents, but the phenomenon does not exclude adults at all. Let’s start with the deterioration of the nails and especially of the hands.
Nail biting damages this part of the body, beware
The nails are weakened and damaged, and on the skin at the base and around the nail can form wounds, redness and infections of the area that become gates for the exchange of germs and bacteria between the nails and the mouth. For this reason, nail bites are more at risk of bacterial and viral infections. In the mouth, the damage can be even greater and less reversible.
In the youngest, where the processes of growth and formation of tissues and bones are taking place, onychophagy often leads to malocclusion of the teeth or to make them crooked. But not only that, in fact the anterior teeth, the incisors, deteriorate rapidly and the incisal margins are jagged and abraded. In those who bite their nails, there are multiple damage and gum infections and therefore periodontal problems. There are various ways to try to break this bad habit.
We can start from the use of the common enamel containing denatoniumbenzoate, a very bitter substance. This should instantly detach the hand from the mouth, making one become aware of an attitude so usual that it can also be impulsive and not commanded. We therefore also become aware of the problem and in the most particular cases we initially exchange the chewing act with sugar-free chewingum, obviously without exaggerating.
We do not replace one vice with another but, little by little, we reduce the act itself. To change this behavior, girls can also opt for the use of nail polishes and false nails, as bollards and for aesthetic purposes. Finally, also look for pastimes that dirty your hands as much as possible, so much so that you can’t touch them, for example sculpture or gardening.
Ironically, keeping your hands busy will not give you the urge to bite your nails. So this vice can seriously endanger the health of our beloved teeth, as well as expose us to bacteria and physical injuries on the hands. Quitting is difficult, but not impossible and if you follow our advice you can succeed.