This is gonna probably read like a smart-aleck answer, but I assure you, that it is not, because I have successfully quit that habit, and my life is much better now.
I had the two front lower teeth (anteriors) removed from my mouth. They’ll be replaced later on, but not until I have gone a few years without biting my fingernails, so I am finally free of the habit, once and for all time.
Now, I did not go into a dentist’s office and say, “Please yank these two teeth, so I can stop chewing my fingernails.”
What happened was that they needed to come out anyway, due to bad alignment and other problems, and I coincidentally discovered that, without them, I was unable to chew my fingernails, because those teeth were the ones I used, to do that.
So, when my dentist told me that we needed to replace the pulled teeth, I said, “Not right now, Perhaps 5 years down the road.”
So, I have two missing lower teeth, which no one notices, because when I smile, only my upper teeth are displayed.
And, I have not chewed my fingernails since, and my nails now look long and healthy.
September 4, 2008, 1:55 AM EDT