Does Ice Hurt Your Teeth When You Chew It?
Posted on 11/16/2020 by Parkway Dentistry at Langtree |
 Chewing ice is a prevalent and mindless habit, especially during summers. It is hard to resist the urge to crunch the chips that lurk at the bottom of the glass after having your favorite beverage. On one or two occasions, you have successfully chewed your way through a few blocks of ice cubes, and yes, it feels good. Unfortunately, just like other hard foods, chewing ice can cause significant damage to your gum, enamel, and teeth. It is highly recommended that you skip ice chewing or find a distraction that will help you resist the urge. So, to answer the query, yes, chewing ice does take a toll on your teeth.
How Chewing Ice Hurt Your Teeth
This habit of chewing ice is known as pagophagia. Ice is cold and hard, and even though the enamel is hard and durable, the exposure to cold harms the nerve leading to lots of tooth sensitivity, which is a feeling no one enjoys.
Besides the sensitivity, biting or chewing ice creates cracks on your teeth, and small pieces of the teeth begin to chip off. The first bite cracks the ice cube; it gains an irregular shape, which means that you will be doing the consequent biting or chewing at an angle, and this is what leads to the chipping off. When a tooth starts chipping off, and there is a lot of sensitivity from the frozen nerves, the resulting pain is gnashing and unbearable. Chewing ice also poses a danger to existing dental additions such as crowns, fillings, or dentures.
Quitting This Habit
If you often find yourself chewing ice, you need to consider finding a distraction or trying to put your beverages in the fridge a few hours before avoiding using ice cubes. If it persists, you might need to contact us because you suffer from anemia, pagophagia, or any other issue making you crave to chew ice.
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