Onychophagia: nail biting and consequences on the teeth

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Onychophagia is the compulsive habit of biting the nails. It is a very common practice that can start in childhood and continue throughout life with all the consequences that it entails. The damage that occurs to the nails and how it affects the appearance of the hands is worrisome.

This habit can damage the nail bed (the skin located under the nail) and leave the nails broken and uneven. Furthermore, it is a habit that can lead to a variety of oral health complications.

There is no clear cause why we bite our nails, although most of the time it is associated with stress. It is a habit that often begins in childhood as a natural progression from finger or thumb sucking. Biting your nails can help relieve tension, anxiety, stress, or boredom. When we find ourselves in a situation that provokes these reactions, we probably bite our nails. Unfortunately, it can be a difficult habit to break, even if you're known to be damaging your oral health every time you bite down.

What happens if you bite your nails? Potential oral health problems

Biting your nails can seriously affect the health of your gums and teeth in a number of ways. These are some of the problems that we can find if we bite our nails:

Erosion, chipping and cracking: The friction of the teeth against the nails can gradually wear away the enamel or even cause the teeth to chip or crack.

Nails get tougher when bitten constantly, which means it becomes harder and harder to bite, causing more damage the longer the habit lasts.

Malocclusion and gaps: biting the nails not only damages the teeth, but also, by putting pressure on them, can cause them to move and separate, which causes malocclusions (problems with the bite) and gaps, affecting the smile.

Gum resorption: Nail biting can also weaken the roots of the teeth and cause the jaw bone to resorb, which means the affected tooth or teeth move and are eventually lost.

Gingivitis – A lot of dirt and germs get trapped under the fingernails, and by biting them, the bacteria is transferred to the mouth, which can lead to gum disease.

Bruxism: Nail biting can increase the risk of developing a chronic habit of grinding teeth, leading to even more oral health problems, along with headaches and TMJ discomfort, which can lead to jaw pain or chewing difficulties.

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Other consequences of nail biting

This practice also increases the risk of paronychia, an infection of the nail. Its symptoms include the appearance of a painful, red, swollen area around the nail, often on the cuticle, or at the site of a hangnail (raised flesh around the nail). If the infection is bacterial, there may even be an accumulation of pus and cause the loss of the nail.

Source: adeslasdental

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