Although biting your nails may seem harmless, it can actually be quite damaging to your teeth, gums and overall health. Here are 4 reasons you should kick this habit ASAP!
- Damage to your teeth: Habitual nail biting can cause premature wear and chipping of your front teeth. It will also compromise the longevity of any dental restorations you have had done on these teeth.
- Gum recession: if you slip, the jagged and sharp edges of fingernails can introduce bacteria around your gums and cause sore, damaged and inflamed gum tissue potentially leading to recession.
- Increased bacteria in your mouth: There are a plethora of bacteria under your nails and when you bite them, it introduces these bacteria into your body. Studies have shown that nail biters have increased levels of bacteria in their mouths compared to non nail biters. This increase in bacteria can also make you more susceptible to bad breath.
- Increased risk of infection: the skin around your nail can become infected because of aggressive nail biting requiring antibiotic and/or surgical drainage. Nail biters also have increased risk of ingrown nails, increased risk of developing warts around fingernails (which can spread to your face), and the damage to your nails can be permanent.
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