you are here: Article 4 - The dental manicure

The dental manicure

The dental manicure.
(Looks - Preventing nail biting - Brief Article)

Bill Stieg, Lisa Jones. Men's Health. Dec 2002 v17 i10 p74(1).
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2002 Rodale Press, Inc.

QUIT BITING YOUR NAILS > Can't break the habit? Frederick Penzel, Ph.D., author of Obsessive Compulsive Disorders: A Complete Guide to Getting Well and Staying Well, has these suggestions, no Crystal-Mist nail polish required (unless you're into that).

* Write down where you are, what mood you're in, and what you're doing when you bite. Identifying triggers can help you stop. "People bite their nails for oral stimulation," says Penzel. And if you can identify what causes the need for oral stimulation, you can work to eliminate the trigger.

* After you ID the stimulus, you can anticipate when you'll bite your nails. Then you can modify the situation to prevent the biting.

* Find a stimulation replacement. Penzel suggests chewing gum, eating strong mint candies, or playing with a stress ball, a Koosh ball, or a Slinky.

* Try habit-reversal training, which is a behavior-modification therapy. "Habit blockers, such as cotton gloves, tape, or Band-Aids, make you more aware of what you're doing and prevent the behavior at the same time," Penzel says.