Table of Contents
The fact is that most childhood habits are benign and have no specific observable physical signs. However, when physical signs are present, they are typically non-pathologic and often previously unnoticed. It is proven that nail biting can be associated with the next symptoms:
- extremely short fingernails
- paronychia
- oral herpes
- herpetic whitlow
- damaged dentition
- apical root resorption
- fractures to the incisors
- gingivitis
Nail biting can worsen some existing conditions of the nail bed, such as:
- Infection of the skin around the nail (paronychia)
- Warts around the nail bed
Negative side-effects of nail biting
Biting the nails can result in the transportation of microorganisms that are hidden under the surface of the nail into the mouth. This could lead to some very serious infections of the gums and lips. In fact, over 100 bacterial skin infections in 2000 were traced to footbaths in nail salons. It is proven that many pathogens have the ability to live and multiply inside of a nail, and still cause no significant symptoms. Nail biting also has the negative side effect of restraining the use of the hands. Although they are afraid to admit it, compulsive nail-biters can be restricted in their ability to work because their hand is in their mouth. These jobs include writing, typing, drawing; driving and other. It can cause not only damage to the nails but to the teeth also. The substantia adamantinea of the front teeth suffers most damage and it leads to promoting caries in these areas.