I know as a kid and even sometimes now I am guilty of biting my fingernails. It’s a gross but subconscious habit that so many of us are used to doing daily. 30% of 7 to 10 year olds bit their nails and 45% of teenagers are guilty as well with numbers decreasing as age goes up. When I was younger my mom always used to yell at me saying it was bad for you. I couldn’t see why it made much of a difference whether I used my teeth or fingernail clippers to cut them but as I got older I started to see what she was talking about.
It’s not rocket science to say that your fingers are are one of the dirtiest parts of your body. They are involved in everything you do and constantly touching different germy surfaces. Your finger nails however, are almost twice as dirty and germ filled as your fingers are. Because it’s even harder to clean underneath the nail, many of the germs stored there never get cleaned away. So what kind of germs are underneath there exactly? A family of bacteria called enterobacteriaceae, which includes salmonella and E.Coli love to live in the cozy nook underneath your fingernails. When you bite off a piece of the nail, you are inviting all of those germs attached to the underside of your nail, into your mouth. Imagine if you bite a nail and it goes on to cut your gums. Now, you have made an opening in your gums for all of the germs to enter into your body.
Aside from all of the germs you are carrying to your mouth you are also damaging your teeth. Your teeth are not meant to be put in constant motion and biting your nails is one thing they are not meant to do. Biting your nails puts a large amount of stress on your front teeth making them gradually become weaker. According to the Academy of General Dentistry, ” Nail biting can result in up to $4,000 in additional dental bills over a lifetime.” That’s a lot of extra money just to groom your nails. That $4,000 doesn’t include the additional time you will spend being sick from all of the new germs you’re putting in your mouth.
Fortunately for all nail biters out there, there are ways to help stop this elementary addiction. Simple ways such as putting band-aids on your fingers or using a medicine which gives you a burning taste in your mouth whenever you bite the nails. However you choose to go about it, your best choice is to find a way to stop biting.
http://time.com/2946800/bad-to-bite-nails/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thomas-p-connelly-dds/mouth-health-the-dish-on_b_574866.html
Unfortunately I too have been a religious nail biter from my younger years to this day. I find when I am extremely stressed or overwhelmed I nibble the most. Its a disgusting habit and I try my best to quit but it is just too difficult. Especially with the work load that college brings, I find myself pushing my stress limits more and more always ending with nonexistent nails. I think keeping myself healthy and with nice nails will all come once I eliminate this bad habit. This article offers more information on how nail biting can cause more defects in one’s life.
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/How_Nail_Biting_Can_Ruin_Your_Health_And_Life.html
This article is super interesting!! I am a long time nail bitter but I think that this will really help me quit my pesky habit! My problem is that half the time I don’t realize that I have my fingers in my mouth!! My mom always tells me how bad it is for you and whenever I would get sick she would say that it was because my hands were constantly in my mouth… maybe she was right!!