Dr. Mogell Dental Blog

Boca Raton Cosmetic Dentistry

Periodontal Disease and Nail Biting

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Stop Nail Biting

It's more then just unattractive to watch, it is also harmful to your teeth. Nail biting is a difficult habit to break. This ugly habit does have obvious harmful affects to out teeth.
The habitual chomping of your nails can lead to fractured, cracked, chipped and worn front teeth. This occurs due to the excessive stress on your front teeth.
Other dental concerns that nail biters can be subjected to are damaged, sore, torn and painful gum tissue which is mainly due to sharp edges of nails.
The bacteria in the nails can spread in the mouth and the bacteria in the mouth can spread to the nail beds and consequently the blood stream.
Wearing a mouth guard is suggested as a deterrent to nail biting. We have also found that the therapy techniques like upward resting of tongue with teeth apart and lips shut prevent further tooth damage.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to call our office at 561-394-9000 to see how we can help you stop this unattractive habit

Lea P. Goldstein

Kenneth A. Mogell, D.M.D.