Nails pack of a lot of dirt. Even if we wash our hands frequently, it is difficult to wash away all the germs. However, many still have the habit of chewing their nails though it is a nasty habit.
Biting nails can make you sick. Here are five scary side effects of biting your nails.
- Bad for teeth and breath: Regularly biting your nails can cause teeth to shift out of place,. Nail biting could also cause your teeth to break or could damage your tooth enamel. The germs could also potentially infect, or cause irritation, to your gums. Also, the bacteria that are on fingers or nails can linger in your mouth and cause halitosis, or bad breath.
- 2. You’re eating germs: Nails pack a lot of dirt. When you put your fingers in your mouth and chew on the nails, you are transferring those germs inside your body. And that significantly increases your chance of becoming ill.
- Painful nail infections: This is also increases the risk of paronychia, an infection of the nail. Symptoms of paronychia include a painful, red, swollen area around the nail, often at the cuticle or at the site of a hangnail or other injury.
- Risk of hangnails and ingrown nails: If you constantly bite your nails, chances are you’ll bite off a bit more than you expected, and when a piece of torn skin at the root of your nail appears, that’s a hangnail. Similarly, biting your fingernails can cause your nails to grow under your skin in your fingers too. Ingrown nails can cause pain and swelling and potentially lead to infection and require surgery.
- You can eat toxins if you polish your nails: Regular nail polishes have plenty of toxins, gel polishes have chemicals that can be harmful when ingested. And while the low amounts of toxicity likely won’t show any harmful effects right away, it comes with potential long-term consequences.