Your teeth were made for biting and chewing food but shouldn’t be used as tools for opening packaging for example. They also are not for nail-biting, the topic of our latest blog. This nervous habit, often the physical sign of stress, can lead to chipped teeth and have an impact on the jaw and bite. Visit for more information Better with age shorts



Dr. Jessica Stilley adds that, “Nail-biting often begins in childhood with 60% of kids and 45% of teenagers having the habit. After age 18, statistics show that 30% are still indulging and doing damage.”

So let’s talk about some of the additional results of ongoing nail-biting, and then we’ll present some preventive measures.

More commonly known as teeth grinding, bruxism is the unintentional grinding or clenching of teeth that may cause facial pain. Those with a habit of nail-biting usually also chew on pencils and other objects. During sleep or while not paying attention, these individuals clench and grind the teeth. This wears down the enamel and causes constant discomfort and pain, headaches, and can also fracture teeth.

In extreme cases, the habit can even cause temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, disorders. The temporomandibular joint connects your jaw to the side of your head and enables you to talk, yawn, and chew properly. TMJ disorders can cause temporary or enduring pain.

Dr. Steven Lieber adds some solutions. So, rather than focus on relief to the pain of bruxism or TMJ disorder, let’s focus again on one of the causes, nail-biting. Bad habits are heard to break, but some tips to slowing or stopping the problem are: