This Is Why You Need To Break Your Child's Nail Biting Habit Now

Giving up a bad habit is hard, especially later on in life. When children are young, it's still possible for parents to help them to break bad habits and develop good ones. If you've noticed that your child has a tendency to bite their nails, it's definitely a habit that you should help them to break. Here's the three things they could end up facing if you don't.

Germs

Germs are a big risk to one's oral health, as well as general health. Putting your fingers in your mouth is something you shouldn't really do, as hands tend to be covered in dangerous bacteria. This bacteria can cause problems like gum infections, as well as being a risk to your child's general health.

Crookedness

Another big problem — especially with young, developing teeth and baby teeth — is teeth becoming crooked. This happens from nail biting because the intense pressure required to break through the nail is repeated over and over on just a few teeth. This can lead to teeth being gradually, ever so slightly, being pushed out of alignment and overcrowding nearby teeth.

If you think that this isn't a big deal when your child has baby teeth, it still is. Baby teeth act as guidelines for adult teeth. When the baby teeth fall out, the adult tooth follows the baby tooth's exact spacing to come in. So if the baby tooth is crooked, chances are the adult tooth will come in crookedly, too.

Damage

Lastly, keep in mind that damage done to adult teeth is permanent and should be avoided at all costs. The kind of damage done from nail biting can leave teeth jagged, rough, and even cracked or broken. This is obviously something you don't want your child to go through now or even later in life if this bad habit persists.

If your child is biting their nails, there are a few things you can do. The first is to visit with a dentist to assess what kind of damage has already been done to your child's mouth and to have it treated if there is any. This may require fillings, crowns, or braces depending upon the severity of the damage and misalignment. If there isn't yet any damage, you're ahead of the curve, so do everything you can to ensure your child doesn't bite their nails. Your dentist may have some useful advice here, too, so make sure to ask while you're at the office.

For more information on how to help your child and his or her oral health, contact a family dental care office in your area today.