Patient question: "What's the deal with nail biting? Is it all that harmful?"

OK, so you know that biting your nails is a bad habit, but many people still wonder: what’s so awful about biting your nails once in a while? Recently, Dr. Michael Long and staff came across an interesting article on biting nails and the effect it has on your teeth and oral health.

Not only is nail biting unsanitary, it's also unattractive, unhealthy for your teeth and expensive!

Look at it this way:

• It’s unsanitary. Your nails are dirty, almost twice as dirty as your fingers! Hence, biting your nails is just asking for germs and bacteria.

• No good things come to your teeth. Nail biting causes your teeth to constantly be chewing, which is not good those pearly whites. This excessive motion wears your teeth down faster than a non-nail biter’s and puts a large amount of stress on your front teeth, contributing to teeth misalignment.

• It can be costly. Nail biting can result in up to $4,000 in additional dental bills over one lifetime, according to the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD). Yikes!

Now that you know how harmful nail biting can be, it’s time to take action to break your that pesky habit of biting your nails. Have any questions about nail biting? We encourage you to ask Dr. Long next time you're in for a visit!