San Francisco and Marin CA
Nail biting is a common habit among people of all ages. Some individuals bite their nails out of boredom or because they feel stressed or anxious. While biting your nails may seem harmless, it could compromise your oral health and damage your jaw joints as a result of temporomandibular joint or TMJ disorder. Using your teeth and jaws for something other than what they are intended to be used for could be the reason for jaw joint pain, headaches, popping and clicking sounds in your jaw joints, and other symptoms associated with temporomandibular joint disorders. Today on the blog, find out why you should stop biting your nails ASAP! and what to do to help you break this habit.
Nail biting habits affect about 20% to 30% of people and are more prevalent in children or those ages 3 to 21 years of age. However, nail biting habits may linger into adulthood. The condition may have correlations with anxiety disorders, although some studies show that fingernail biting is a learned behavior.
The Connection Between Nail Biting and TMJ Disorder
Nail biting is an unhygienic habit because your fingernails harbor bacteria that can make you sick, even if you are a good hand washer! Plus, tooth enamel or porcelain from previous dental restorations could chip or crack due to nail biting. But one of the worst side effects of nail biting is how it affects your jaw joints whether you have TMJ disorder (TMJD) or not. Biting your fingernails or cuticles is mostly a protrusive or lateral protrusive movement, meaning intense biting pressure in a specific location on your front teeth or one side of your teeth as the teeth make edge-to-edge contact. This uneven biting pressure can cause jaw muscle or synovial (joint) pain and eventually lead to disc displacement of the jaw joint.
If you bite your nails and experience jaw joint discomfort, popping or clicking sounds in your jaw joints, or have difficulty opening and closing your jaw, you could suffer from TMJ disorder. Furthermore, a nail-biting habit could cause a flareup if you already have TMJ disorder. There are many ways to treat a nail-biting disorder like cognitive therapy or habit reversal therapy. Some nail biters respond well to using bitter tasting nail polish on their nails to discourage them from nail biting. Another way to help curb a nail-biting habit is to keep your nails manicured to reduce the temptation of biting your nails or cuticles in the first place. If you suffer from TMJ disorder and a nail-biting habit, Glen Park Dental offers a simple solution to reduce jaw joint inflammation and pain so that you can get on with living your life.
Temporomandibular Joint Disorder Treatment in Marin and the Bay Area
Glen Park Dental offers oral appliance therapy to help reposition the jaw for optimal alignment and to relieve pressure and inflammation in the jaw joints. Many patients have found long-term relief by following our protocol for TMJD. If you would like to learn more about TMJ disorder or to explore treatment options, contact Glen Park Dental by calling (415) 585-1500.
