A broken nail primarily could end up being a source of infections so this is the first thing that you have to prevent. Apart from just the healing of the wound, you just have to give your nail six months to grow back completely. You also have to be careful to ensure that this growth does not end up in an ingrown toenail.
Ingrown toenails occur when the nail on the toe starts to grow in a skewed way into the skin and tissue that surrounds it. This is a painful condition that has to be avoided at all costs. To avoid this situation, you need to understand the anatomy of the nail. Nail is hard keratin protein that is similar to the structure of hair but the protein here is created in such a way that it is much harder. The nail starts at the cuticle and is the softest at this point. Guiding its correct growth are the nail grooves on either side of the nail and it moves along the tissue called the nail bed. At the tip of the nail, as it moves away from the skin and disconnects, it changes color from pink and becomes white. An ingrown nail occurs when this growth does not follow the correct path and this is almost always attributable to bad footwear. It is necessary during this time that your nail bed is covered and that there is no pressure from the sides or above, for the growing nail. When it finally comes forth from the skin, cutting the nail is also important. Remember to cut only along the white line and not to try digging into the skin with a nail cutter, as this will cause skewed growth. When you do cut your nails, do not be obsessed with trying to cut according to the structure of the toe. Try to cut as straight as you can.
To ensure that there are no infections after losing your nail, use an antiseptic cream on the exposed nail bed. Alternatively, you can sterilize the nail bed by dipping your foot in some salt water and then applying some diluted tea tree oil over the nail bed. In case the area is already infected, then you need to apply hydrogen peroxide and clean the wound out. After this, apply the tea tree oil. If you feel any odd growth and you think that the growing nail is poking into the surrounding tissue, take a nail file and file off any sharp edges.