Is it Possible to Redirect an Ingrowing Toenail While There's no Damage?

I've had five ingrown toenails in the past, and I'm convinced that I'm about to have my sixth one. See, for a couple years now, the right part of my left big toenail has been growing into the skin, but I've kept it at bay via nail clippers.

However, this time, I thought it wouldn't be a big deal to let it grow. Last night, however, it started hurting when I used a whatchamacallit (some scoop thing for nails) to clean under the nail, it started hurting, and hasn't stopped since.

The good news is, it only hurts and there's no broken skin, and thus no bleeding nor infection. The bad news is, of my five previous ingrown toenails, five of them had to get treated. The very bad news is, while there are online guides on preventing ingrown toenails, it's still the internet, and we all know how unreliable the internet can be at times. The worse news is, I have no idea how long I have until the toe gets infected, thus leaving literally no choice but to get it treated.

If anyone has personal experience to back up the articles, or if I'm kinda already screwed and should just accept my fate and get it over with, please let me know.