Sometimes these effects are temporary. An infection that lasts a week or two might lead to a funny-looking nail for a short period of time, she says. But “you can also do permanent damage to the area, so you forever make a funny nail.”
Aside from nail biting or picking, some people also have the nervous habit of using one hand to push down the cuticles of fingers on their other hand (most commonly the thumbs). People who do this “push back the cuticle so often and so aggressively that [they] end up making a fingernail that has horizontal ridges in it” — called a habit-tic deformity, Torgerson explains. This is “repeat trauma to that area,” which can also result in a funny-looking fingernail.
Nail biting can also have effects on your teeth: As Everyday Health points out, it can lead to teeth shifting out of place, as well as potential breaks in teeth or tooth enamel.
Stop Biting Your Nails! Here’s Why was originally published on blackdoctor.org
