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The Dirty Facts about Biting Your Nails

Nov 19 • 2 minute read

A nervous woman is biting her nails.

 

Many of us have a bad habit or two. We're all human after all and our behaviors are often learned. Some people smoke, some drink, some do both. There is a wide range of bad habits one could pick and many of them can negatively impact our health.

If you don't do it, you probably know someone that bites their nails. For many, this is a reaction to stress. It may seem like a harmless habit, but as dentists, we can tell you it isn't. If it's a habit of yours, we definitely recommend seeking ways to stop and we will share some tips for doing so in our blog post next week. But first, here are 10 dirty facts about nail biting:

  1. The technical name for nail biting is onychophagia.
  2. It's a widespread habit in America, but varies in frequency among age groups.
  3. Teenagers are the age group that bites their nails the most.
  4. According to the Academy of General Dentistry, nail biting could increase your dental bills by as much as $4000 over your lifetime.
  5. If you have braces, nail biting can put additional pressure on your teeth, which can threaten the integrity of your tooth roots.
  6. The Academy of General Dentistry says that nail biting makes you more prone to bruxism, or teeth grinding, clenching, or gnashing.
  7. Biting your nails exposes you to all kinds of dirt and bacteria that gathers under your nails. In many ways, nail biting is a very unsanitary habit.
  8. Biting your nails causes your teeth to wear excessively, and it can crack or chip your teeth. It's especially damaging to your front teeth, because these teeth aren't meant to chew; they're meant to bite and tear. Nail biters are using these teeth to chew hard objects repeatedly.
  9. Nail biters that pick up the habit at a young age are at a greater risk for developing diastema, or a gap in the front two teeth.
  10. Because of the increased intake of germs and dirt, nail biters are more prone to getting sick.

Thanks for Reading Our Blog!  

Thanks for stopping by to check out our blog this week. If you know a nail biter, we hope this list of dirty nail-biting facts helps you convince him or her to stop the habit. It can wreak havoc on your beautiful smile!

If you enjoy our dental news, facts, and tips, please like or share our Facebook page to help us get the word out about great oral health!

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Family and Cosmetic Dentistry
Creating Beautiful Smiles in Turlock

Drs. Christopher and Anne Thompson offer quality dental implant, family, and cosmetic dentistry services in Turlock, CA. Make us your family dental center today!

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