06 Feb 2016, 5:18 am
beakybird wrote:
Rockymntchris wrote:
I'm not sure how long any of my fingernails have ever reached. I'm constantly chewing them when I'm in situations where I can't have my pacifier in my mouth. If it wasn't for my binkies, I doubt I'd have any left.
Am I understanding correctly, but do you bite your nails so badly you use a pacifier?
I'm not mocking. I bite my nails really, really badly to the point where I've broken two of my front teeth from it. One tooth is about to go altogether. And I still can't stop myself. I constantly make myself bleed in the fingertips from doing it so much. I spend hours a day doing this.
Just wondering if you had the same issue and had to use that as your solution.
You got it! In my case though I've not battered my teeth up from that (although I need silver caps on my two front top teeth as I ruined those surfaces stripping cables with my mouth years ago). I have seriouly damaged my fingertips, though and some are looking a bit deformed these days.
Nailbiting has always been my most addressed "habit". The only way I can keep my hands out of my mouth is to have something in it that prevents me from placing my fingers inside. Things like lollipops do little good because I can still get my fingers in around the stick. Same goes for "chewy tubes" and other devices that they sell to parents of children who place inappropriate objects in their mouths. I need something that makes a "shield" over my entire lip area so that I can't get my fingers around it. That's why the pacis work best. I shop around and get ones that have the largest shields on them and will overlay the nipples with larger ones if necessary so they fit inside my mouth more comfortably.
I have around a couple dozen of various styles, but this one is my most favourite:
^As it's rather noticeable, I generally use it only around the house or if I'm visiting someone who really understands. Otherwise I have some clear silicone binkies that I take with me when I venture out as they're harder to see:
Another option for going out in public is Paci-pops:
The good thing about these is if someone tries to start sh!t with me about having a pacifier, I can take it out of my mouth and say, "lighten up, dude...it's only candy!" The bad thing is they don't last that long, although more that the more common "Ring Pops" some parents give their older special needs children to use in place of a binky. Here I am with a Paci-pop that's colour-coordinated with my wardrobe:
If you're considering trying a pacifier to deter nailbiting, I'd experiment with something inexpensive like the NUK 18-36 month pacis which have the largest nipples available without special ordering something from Europe:
I would stick with "orthodontic" shaped nipples and not get baby bottle shaped nipples like found on "Soothie" pacis.
