[Babakins]

Have you smelled them? Often when things are infected there is a smell or some sort. The nail bed is inflamed so that could be due to the over stressed lymphocytes in the area. The denting is the quizzical bit and doesn't sound right at all.

Psoriosis of the nail can have these types of symptoms however.

I just found this which is useful:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003247.htm