About one-fourth of the population has a habit of biting their nails. In many cases, people do so unconsciously. Though you may know it is an unhygienic behavior, it can be difficult to stop it, especially if you do not realize you do it.
But a nail-biting habit could also be putting the health of your teeth at risk. Ask your dentist for tips to cease this behavior. They can also tell you some of its detrimental effects to encourage you to avoid fingernail biting. Read on to find three reasons why you should stop biting your nails and protect your smile.
Prevent Harming Your Dental Structure
Your teeth endure wear and tear from chewing and biting on a regular basis without issue. However, immense pressure may hurt your durable teeth and cause them to break. If you bite on hard items like fingernails, you could crack, chip, or fracture your teeth.
These dental injuries will disrupt the look of your smile. But they also leave openings in the tooth enamel that will worsen over time. Plaque and bacteria can infiltrate this breakage and cause decay, infections, and other dental dangers.
Your dentist can repair this dental damage, but you should preserve the natural structure of your smile as much as possible. This means avoiding nail-biting and other reckless habits.
Keep Your Teeth Straight
The pressure from nail biting can hurt the structure of your teeth, but it may also impact their position in your smile too. Continuous pressure from biting hard textures may cause teeth to shift out of place. Your teeth may then overlap, become gapped, or grow crooked.
You might feel self-conscious about this change in your smile. And your dentist can help you straighten your teeth once again with clear braces. These plastic aligners will gradually align your teeth to your desired results as you wear them.
More severe malocclusions and bite problems might need attention from an orthodontist. But you can stop teeth from moving out of place by ceasing behaviors like nail biting that could cause it to happen.
Protect Your Dental Work
You likely already have existing dental fixtures or dental work in your smile now. If you bite your fingernails, you risk harming this dental work and hindering its enhancement of your smile.
For instance, cosmetic dental fixtures like porcelain veneers are made to remain in place on your smile even as you chew and bite as you normally would. But biting on hard items, including fingernails, might cause these shells to dislodge from the teeth or crack.
Your underlying teeth will be vulnerable after this type of dental damage, so you will need prompt repair or replacement from your dentist. This could leave you with costly dental work and time spent in your dentist’s chair.
You can save yourself this hassle and stress by stopping habits that could put you in this situation. Talk to your dentist to find healthy ways to stop nail biting.