Question
An 8-year-old girl has a persistent habit of biting her nails, which has led to her nails being severely damaged and sometimes even biting into the flesh. Despite the parents repeatedly explaining the dangers of nail-biting and urging her to stop this behavior, she promises to change but soon falls back into the same pattern. How should parents handle this situation?
Answer
Nail-biting is a common behavior in children, with many experiencing similar habits during their childhood. However, this habit can pose potential hazards to a child’s healthy growth. Nail-biting not only may result in misaligned teeth, such as protruding or chipped incisors, affecting the child’s appearance, but it can also cause nail deformities, damage the nail bed, trigger bleeding or infections, and harm the nail plate, shortening it, making the edges uneven, and roughening its surface, losing its original luster. If the behavior extends to the nail groove, it may even lead to paronychia. To help a child break the habit of nail-biting, parents can take the following measures:
- Understand the Cause: Firstly, understand the possible reasons for the child’s nail-biting, such as stress, anxiety, or imitative behavior,