Is biting your nails bad for your teeth?

Biting anything that is not food is terrible for our teeth! The grinding friction of teeth against nails can gradually wear the enamel away, or even cause teeth to chip or crack.

In addition to leaving the nails torn, uneven, and doing damage to the nail beds, nail biting can lead to a variety of oral health complications. Dirt and germs get trapped under our fingernails, and when we chew on them, that all gets transferred to our mouths, which can result in gum disease. Nails, plastic, clothes, anything you don't intend on swallowing should be avoided completely. A nail biting habit can increase a person’s risk of developing a chronic teeth-grinding habit as well, which comes with even more oral health problems, along with headaches and soreness.

What are some ways to prevent it? We've heard a lot of solutions like, gels painted on the nails that taste bitter or spicy, trimming your nails regularly, getting a manicure or stopping as a gradual process, choosing one nail at a time to stop biting.