{"id":33,"date":"2020-12-12T22:52:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-12T22:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.villagepediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/?p=33"},"modified":"2021-01-11T22:52:51","modified_gmt":"2021-01-11T22:52:51","slug":"nail-biting-effects-and-treatments-cumming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.villagepediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/nail-biting-effects-and-treatments-cumming\/","title":{"rendered":"If Your Child Bites Their Nails, They May Be Hurting Their Teeth!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.villagepediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/AdobeStock_326885857__1610404919_48226-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Nail-biting young girl looks worried\" class=\"wp-image-34\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.villagepediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/AdobeStock_326885857__1610404919_48226-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.villagepediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/AdobeStock_326885857__1610404919_48226-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.villagepediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/AdobeStock_326885857__1610404919_48226.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>People of all ages chew on their nails, even kids. In fact, some studies report that about half of children between the ages of 10 and 18 chew on their fingernails occasionally. However, this common habit isn\u2019t entirely harmless. Overaggressive or frequent nail-biting when the teeth and mouth are developing early in life can lead to long-term complications. Here\u2019s how your child\u2019s nail-biting habits can impact their long-term oral health, and what you can do to protect their precious smile from permanent damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Are the Consequences of Nail-Biting?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The protective shell of enamel that covers the teeth is the strongest material in the human body, but it can be worn down. Occasional fingernail chewing won\u2019t dramatically erode the enamel, but frequent or aggressive biting will. Nail-biting can cause:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Sensitive or weakened teeth: <\/strong>As the enamel is worn away, teeth naturally become sensitive and more prone to damage.<\/li><li><strong>Chipped or cracked teeth: <\/strong>A combination of thinner enamel plus the extra force on the teeth that comes with nail-biting can easily chip or crack teeth.<\/li><li><strong>Infection in the gums: <\/strong>Nail-biting introduces a variety of new bacteria and germs into the mouth, which can infect the gums.<\/li><li><strong>Early loss of baby teeth: <\/strong>Prolonged extra pressure on baby teeth can cause them to lose their grip and fall out prematurely, which in turn influences the development of permanent teeth.<\/li><li><strong>Crooked permanent teeth: <\/strong>Permanent teeth are stronger than baby teeth, but nail-biting can cause them to come in crookedly or feel loose.<\/li><li><strong>Nightly teeth grinding (bruxism): <\/strong>Studies show that unconsciously chewing on hard objects like your fingernails (or ice or pen caps) increases risk of teeth grinding in sleep (bruxism).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Help Your Child Stop Biting Their Nails<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Typically, nonnutritive habits like nail-biting naturally go away on their own as children grow up. Nail-biting specifically can last well into adolescence and early adulthood in some cases. Your pediatric dentist will monitor your child\u2019s oral development as you bring them in for their biannual checkups and let you know if nail-biting is impacting how their smile is growing. They can work with you to implement trusted methods to help your little one break this habit, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Identifying what triggers nail-biting: <\/strong>Like thumb-sucking, nail-biting can be a response to stress or fear. Try to determine what is causing your child to bite their nails and take steps to resolve that issue first.<\/li><li><strong>Giving them different outlets:<\/strong> When you see your son or daughter chewing on their nails, encourage them to draw, write, be active, or play with a toy that occupies their hands instead.<\/li><li><strong>Use over-the-counter solutions: <\/strong>There are store-bought products and nail polishes that make fingernails taste displeasing, which can help your child stop biting them.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For more personalized guidance, don\u2019t be shy to talk to your child\u2019s primary care doctor or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.villagepediatricdentistry.com\/\">pediatric dentist<\/a>. They\u2019ll be happy to help your child curb this habit to keep their smile happy and healthy for many years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Village Pediatric Dentistry has been serving the growing smiles of Cumming and the surrounding communities of North Georgia since 2012. Their talented team of board-certified pediatric dentists offer a range of specialized treatments to ensure your little one\u2019s oral health and development stay on track, including dental sealants, fluoride treatments, sports mouthguards, teething information, and assistance in managing nonnutritive habits. If you are concerned about your child\u2019s nail-biting, don\u2019t hesitate to contact them via their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.villagepediatricdentistry.com\/contact.html\">website<\/a> or at <strong>(678) 456-5572.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>People of all ages chew on their nails, even kids. In fact, some studies report that about half of children between the ages of 10 and 18 chew on their fingernails occasionally. However, this common habit isn\u2019t entirely harmless. Overaggressive or frequent nail-biting when the teeth and mouth are developing early in life can lead [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Nail-Biting In Kids Impact Oral Health Cumming | Village Pediatric Dentistry<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Nail-biting may seem like a harmless habit, but it can seriously damage your child\u2019s teeth and oral development. Here\u2019s how and what you can do about it!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.villagepediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/nail-biting-effects-and-treatments-cumming\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nail-Biting In Kids Impact Oral Health Cumming | Village Pediatric Dentistry\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nail-biting may seem like a harmless habit, but it can seriously damage your child\u2019s teeth and oral development. 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