What are the Symptoms and Signs of Nail Biting?
- Feelings of anxiety or stress before biting
- Feeling happy or relieved after a nail biting
- Skin around the fingernails become sore due to constant biting.
- Nail biting causes bacterial and fungal infection in the skin around the nails and the nail bed is badly damaged.
- Teeth are affected during nail biting, and fractures are observed in the front teeth (incisors) as well as gingivitis or infected gums.
- Disruption of social and family relationships
The typical sequence of nail biting involves:
- Placing the hand in front of the mouth for anywhere up to 30 seconds
- Touching the front teeth with the fingers
- Quickly biting the nails with the teeth
- Withdrawing the finger from the mouth
