nail biting

Dental health is important for a variety of reasons, and the two that top my list are:

1. When my teeth hurt, eating is painful and I like to eat.
2. Dental work is expensive and I would rather spend my money on something fun.

Aside from the proactive activities of brushing and flossing, there are two rather surprising things you should avoid to help keep your teeth in tip-top shape.

Nail biting is the more obvious of the two tooth-damaging activities. It can wear down your teeth, aging them prematurely. Nail biting mainly stresses the front teeth. Not only are the front teeth the most visible ones in our mouth, these teeth were designed for cutting and not chewing and are not strong enough to be used constantly.

To see the other culprit, read more

This self-grooming business is a little stressful for Winston here. Looking this immaculate takes a whole lot of primping and licking and — do you see that hair out of place? Oh hell no. He's gotta get the paws clean and pristine, he's just gotta. The pressure is overwhelming. So the nail biting helps ease the tension every now and again, no biggie. It's not a habit or anything . . .

I used to have a boyfriend who, because he was so stressed from law school, couldn't stop biting his nails. So then he moved on to nibbling his knuckles. By the end of his first year, he had barely any nails left and puffy, swollen joints. Sound vaguely familiar? Lots of people bite their nails, whether absentmindedly or actively, and most chompers have told me that they just can't stop the habit.

That could change, though, if a Dutch business manages to sell its idea. Alain-Raymond van Abbe, a former cosmetics marketer, has created a barely-visible tooth guard for nail biters. The mouthpiece makes it impossible for people to bite their nails, but it can be removed for eating. After four weeks, van Abbe says, the impulse to gnaw goes away.

Van Abbe's treatment fee can climb as high as $670, which seems awfully expensive for what basically amounts to a clear retainer. But for that kind of fee, I think I'd try to win with will power first.

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One of the most common symptoms of stress, pathological nail biting troubles some people 6 million people worldwide. Or so estimates Alain-Raymond van Abbe the Dutch inventor of the "Preventer."

Although his background is in marketing and not medicine, van Abbe describes himself as a "problem solver." His solution for nail biting, The Preventer, is essentially a molded mouth guard, worn on either the upper or lower teeth. The Preventer is barely visible and it prevents biting, hence your fingernails cannot be bitten. It can, however, be removed for actual eating. It takes about 4 weeks of wearing the Preventer to control the nail biting impulses. Van Abbe has created an entire clinic for chronic nail biters and he is doing a brisk business. Treatment costs about $640.

Pathological nail biting is now classified as a category of obsessive-compulsive disorders called Body-Focused Repetitive, along with hair pulling and biting the inside of the cheek, and these habits are gaining more scientific attention. Some American psychologists believe Van Abbe might be onto something, since his treatment deals with both cognitive and behavioral aspects. However there is skepticism that an entire clinic dedicated to nail biters can remain afloat.

And you, are you a nail biter? If so would you try this treatment? Let me know in the comments below.

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