Discomfort down the sides of the toenails is fairly common and often gets called “ingrown” when most cases are not really ingrown toenails. A true “ingrown nail” is when the nail has actually grown into the skin, penetrates the skin and can turn out to be quite painful and is usually infected. https://podiatryfaq.com/knowledge-base/the-side-of-the-toenail-hurts-but-its-not-ingrown/