Nail Biting Research Paper

Words: 815
Pages: 4

Lets be honest, we all know someone who has hideous nubby fingernails from compulsively biting their nails. I, myself, am one of those “someone”. Nail biting is a common compulsive behavior that often starts during childhood and can continue throughout adulthood. Face it, just about everyone has had at least one nail biting moment in their lifetime. You might have found yourself with your fingernails between your teeth while sitting though a boring lecture or anxiously watching a scary horror movie. Nail biting is fairly common, but for some it is more than just a bad habit. It can become quite serious. Many people with this habit do not realize and know the consequences of nail biting and so they continue to do it. My fingernails have suffered from years of abuse because of my lack of knowledge to this typical habit that occurs in everyday life. My aim is to inform others of this annoying behavior and give advice on how to successfully quit. Nail biting is more than just biting them short. It opens up your body to negative health effects as it serves as a gateway to letting unwanted germs into your body’s system. Regularly biting your …show more content…
Various studies have shown that nail biting can cause multiple oral problems. As a matter of fact, the book Pediatric Dentistry by Pinkham states that nail biting can cause a diastama – a gap between your two front teeth. “If the nail biting habit begins when a child is very young, it has been reported to cause a gap between teeth”. (Casamassimo) In addition to this, biting your nails can cause the roots of your teeth to become weaker. “Nail biting during orthodontic treatment has been shown to cause root resorption”. This occurs when the bone surrounding your teeth dissolves parts of your roots. So not only does nail biting cause you to become ill, it also has an affect on your oral cavity, causing harm, leading to poorly aligned and weakened