Many people have a habit of biting their nails. Not only could this behavior leave your fingernails looking tattered, but it also poses a threat to your oral health. Your dentist will agree that you should find a way to avoid nail biting as soon as possible.
It can be easier to break this habit when you know more about the dangers it can bring to your teeth and gums. Visit your dentist to learn more about these risks and about preventative oral health care. But you can also check out three reasons why you should work to stop a nail-biting habit and preserve your smile when you read on.
Prevent Tooth Breakage
Your teeth feature a hard outer layer called enamel that withstands wear and tear from chewing and biting without issue ordinarily. But under extreme pressure, enamel might chip, crack, or fracture. Enamel cannot heal itself, so you will need intervention from a dentist to amend this tooth breakage.
A chip in a tooth will disrupt the appearance of your smile. But even minor tooth breakage will create a vulnerable spot in your tooth that can increase your risk of further dental damage. Plus, a crack can worsen over time, which may leave you in serious pain or experiencing other uncomfortable symptoms.
Biting your nails can generate a great amount of pressure on your teeth which may lead to this type of dental injury. So to protect the structure of your smile, you should stop this habit. A dentist might use restorative dental solutions to fix a broken tooth, but you should preserve your natural smile for as long as you can.
Protect Existing Dental Work
Biting your nails can harm more than the tooth enamel within your smile. If you have existing dental work, the pressure exerted on any fixtures due to this habit can cause damage. You might dislodge a dental crown, loosen a dental filling, or break porcelain veneers.
Modern dental solutions are designed to maximize your oral function so that you can eat and speak without issue. But abnormal oral behaviors, like nail biting, could harm the dental work.
You will need urgent attention from a dentist to repair this type of dental damage. Otherwise, you could risk additional oral health problems. So avoid this danger to your smile in the first place by ceasing harmful habits like nail biting.
Reduce Your Risk of Infections
Many people consider nail biting to be an unsanitary habit because it transfers oral bacteria to your hands, meaning that you spread germs to your surroundings.
But the opposite is true as well. You will introduce germs to your mouth when you bite your fingernails, increasing your risk of getting sick.
You can also put yourself in greater danger of oral infections with this habit. Sharp fingernails can cut your soft gum tissue, creating an easy point for which bacteria to infect the gums.
You can have a high risk of contracting gum disease, which can wreak havoc on your oral health. Protect your gums and the rest of your smile by stopping a nail-biting habit as soon as you can.