How to stop nail biting and prevent ingrown nails 

Medically reviewed by Dr. Betsy Koickel, MD on September 15th, 2025.

Onychophagia, the medical term for nail biting, is a very common habit. By some estimates, as much as 20%-30% of people bite their nails. It’s seen most often in children and young adults, though the habit can continue into adulthood. 

Nail biting is often triggered by stress or strong emotions. You may notice that children start to bite their nails if they're feeling nervous, hungry, bored, or overwhelmed. 

No matter the reason for nail biting, there are risks associated with the habit. It can lead to tooth and jaw pain, as well as chipped or misaligned teeth. 

Nail biting can impact overall health, especially for kids, since putting their fingers in their mouths increases the chances of getting sick. Bacteria and viruses on the fingers can lead to illnesses like colds, strep, or COVID. 

Frequent nail biting also leads to damage to the nails and the skin around them. Kids can end up with torn cuticles, cuts, and sores around the nail bed, or painful ingrown nails. 

Preventing ingrown nails 

Ingrown nails occur when the side of the nail grows into the skin around a fingernail or toenail. They’re very painful and can lead to inflammation and infection. Symptoms of an ingrown nail include: 

• Tender, swollen or red skin 
• Painful open sores 
• Pus or fluid leaking from the area around the nail 

Improper nail care, including nail biting, can increase the risk of ingrown nails. Cutting or tearing fingernails at the wrong angle or making them too short can result in them growing back as ingrown nails. 

You can reduce the chances of ingrown nails by discouraging nail biting. Use clean, sharp nail clippers or nail scissors to trim kids' nails straight across. Don’t trim them too short, keeping the edge near or above the top of their cuticles. 

How to fix ingrown nails 

If your child develops an ingrown fingernail and it isn’t showing signs of infection, you can try home care methods to treat it. 

• Soaking: Soak the affected nail in warm water. This can relieve pain and soften the nail so it doesn’t place as much pressure on the skin around it. 
• Cotton pads: After soaking, gently insert a cotton or gauze pad under the edge of the nail to lift it away from the nail bed. This can encourage the nail to grow away from the skin. Change the gauze pad at least once a day. 
• Dental floss: If you can’t get a cotton or gauze pad under the edge of the nail, you can use dental floss to lift the nail. Gently slide a clean strand of dental floss under the nail and lift it away from the skin. Replace the floss at least once a day. 

If your child experiences new or worsening pain from an ingrown nail, or if you notice increased redness, pus, or open sores, visit a healthcare provider. These are signs of infection, and they can get worse without treatment. 

Depending on the severity of the ingrown nail, this child may need to have some or all of the nail removed. This is an in-office procedure, using a local anesthetic to numb the area. A provider will carefully cut away the nail to relieve the pressure on the skin. Your child may need to take antibiotics after ingrown nail removal to fully heal the infection. 

How to stop nail biting 

You can reduce the risk of ingrown nails by encouraging children to break the nail-biting habit. There are a variety of strategies that can help your child stop biting their nails. A combination of tactics may be more helpful than any single strategy. 

• Keep kids' nails trimmed short so there isn’t as much nail to bite. 
• Use a child-safe polish to paint kids' nails. It may be less tempting to bite nails that look nice. 
• Use a bitter-tasting nail polish on their nails to make biting them unpleasant. 
• Replace the nail-biting habit with something less harmful. Offer kids a fidget toy or stress ball to distract them from the urge to bite their nails. 
• Notice what triggers your child to bite their nails. Common triggers are boredom, stress, or anxiety. Identifying when kids are most likely to bite their nails allows adults to be alert to nail biting and remind kids to stop biting their nails, and offer them alternative options to keep their hands busy. 

If you have questions about ingrown nails or other problems related to nail biting, contact a healthcare provider. They can help your child stop nail biting and prevent damage to their skin and nails.