Some parents at Braces For Pretty Faces Orthodontics ask if stopping a child’s nail biting habit is another positive effect of orthodontic treatment. Since nail biting can be harmful to braces by breaking brackets and bending wires that delays treatment, the Doctors at Braces For Pretty Faces feel that finding ways to curtail the habit is in our patient’s best interest.
Here are a few facts about nail biting… technically called “Onychophagia”.
- About 30 percent of children aged 7-10 bite their nails
- About 45 percent of teenagers bite their nails
- About 25 percent of young adults bite their nails
- Only about five percent of older adults bite their nails
Nail biting is considered to be a stress induced habit that peaks during the teenage years and usually is overcome as an adult. Besides the fact it can damage braces during treatment if the habit persists, it can be harmful in different ways:
- Your fingers are pretty much involved in almost everything you do and they are a walking germ fest. Your fingernails are twice as dirty as your fingers. When you bite your nails… do you need to read more?
- If nail biting is severe and involves the cuticles and breaks the skin, the germs transfer from the mouth to the open wound and can cause infection.
- It is also a poor reflection on a person’s image. No one likes to watch a person bite their nails, especially a teenager or adult. Bitten nails are far from attractive in comparison to manicured nails, especially in the business world.
- Teeth are not meant to chew all the time. Nail biting tends to keep your teeth in constant motion, which can wear them down faster than a non-nail biter's. It places stress on front teeth, can weaken them, and may contribute to the teeth becoming crooked or misaligned.
The good news is many orthodontic patients report that they are unable to continue their habit while wearing braces, which leads to breaking the habit. As your bite changes during treatment, their teeth no longer come together correctly. After a couple years of braces, patients usually lose the urge to bite their nails and generally overcome the problem.
Whether you have braces or starting orthodontic treatment, breaking the habit of nail biting is a good choice. It is healthier not to bite your nails and we suggest you keep them trimmed well during treatment.
The technical term for a “bad bite” is a malocclusion. There are many different types of malocclusions depending on what the exact nature of the problem. Sometimes, a poor bite only develops on one side of the mouth instead of both sides. This situation, which is commonly known as a crossbite, happens because of an asymmetry of the teeth or jaw. This lack of balance can occur when some of the teeth on one side are lost, or if they never come in at all.
In a bi-lateral crossbite, (meaning one side only), the top teeth on one side close either outside or across the bottom teeth. This happens because the lower jaw shifts from side to side when the mouth is closing in an attempt to correct for the mismatch of the upper jaw and the lower jaw. This shift creates a misalignment of the teeth.
More on Striving for Symmetry….
BracesFor Pretty Faces Orthodontics specializes in the movement of teeth and correction of adverse jaw growth problems. Evaluating and diagnosing each individual patient’s dental development, presents a slightly different challenge for an orthodontist. There are many factors at work and different approaches that can be used.
In severe situations, permanent tooth removals may be required to create the necessary space for others. However, no one enjoys having their teeth extracted and we try to avoid this option whenever possible. Fortunately, there is another way. By using a child’s natural growth spurts, a savvy orthodontist can avoid the need for tooth extractions if he evaluates a patient at an early age.
More on Timing is Everything In Orthodontics When Treating Children.
