Patient's question:
My daughter is 8 years old, but she has never been able to break the habit of biting her nails. Her nails have been bitten so badly that they are ragged and some have even bitten into her flesh. Every time I tell her about the bad effects of biting her nails and ask her not to do it anymore, she promises to stop, but a few days later, she starts again. What can I do?Doctor's answer:
Biting nails is a common phenomenon among children. Many people have experienced nail-biting during their childhood. Therefore, some young parents often pay little attention to their children's habit of biting nails. In fact, nail-biting is an unhealthy habit that can be harmful to a child's healthy growth. Frequent nail-biting can also cause damage to a child's teeth, leading to misaligned teeth, such as protruding teeth or chipped front teeth, affecting the child's appearance. Nail-biting can also result in nail deformities, damaging the nail bed and causing bleeding or infection. It can injure the nail plate, making it shorter, irregular around the edges, rough in texture, and losing its original luster. If it affects the cuticle, it can lead to paronychia.