Chewing ice harmful to teeth

Why is chewing ice bad for teeth?

You may enjoy eating something icy, like ice, but it can cause damage to various compounds, including fillings, crowns, and even your teeth.

And you might wonder why you’re interested in something as cold as ice. According to dentist Karen Kahn, this is because of the soothing effect of ice.

“Chewing ice increases blood flow to the brain and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which induces relaxation,” he explains. This makes it more habit-forming. “People feel better, so they chew ice.”

Although persistent ice chewing is a common occurrence, it is no longer a habit you should start. Dr. Kahn explains why eating ice is bad for your teeth and shares some tips to avoid the habit.

The dangers of chewing ice

All in all – there are too many risks. “Continuously chewing ice can be very harmful to your health and your teeth,” says Dr. Karin Kahn, a dentist.

One of the most important dangers of chewing ice can be broken fillings, caps, and even teeth. “Even with a small force, a tooth can be broken. Especially if there is already the slightest crack in it”, he explains. “Even eating a piece of bread can break a tooth if there are already cracks in it.”

Below are several different side effects of chewing ice:

Problems that may arise with chewing ice:

• Scratching, breaking, and damaging dental fillings, crowns, and veneers; If you put too much pressure on a tooth, fillings and crowns break very easily.
• Cleanliness of the appearance of the teeth: chewing ice may cause scratches on the surface of the teeth and make your teeth ugly and irregular.
• Orthodontic problems: Ice chewing is a problem for people who use dental braces and causes the brackets attached to the teeth to pull and break.

Enamel, or the outer layer of your teeth, is the hardest substance in your body. But this does not mean that it is non-integral. “Think of your teeth like a china plate,” advises Dr. Kahn. Enamel is very sensitive to breaking. “Chewing on ice may cause teeth to break beyond repair.”

Damage to tooth enamel also depends on the amount of force you apply to your teeth, he reiterates. “If you’re grinding your teeth and squeezing, and then you’re chewing ice — that’s a lot of stress on the teeth.

Chewing ice can not only damage your teeth, but it can also do more. Dr. Kahn warns, “If you chew or crush ice on a daily or even frequent basis, you may end up chipping or chipping a tooth.” “Sometimes, all it takes is a soft food to hit a tooth and break a tooth.”

Teeth can get fine lines called “craze lines”. These are tiny fracture lines in the material your teeth are made of, such as tooth enamel, that sometimes cannot be detected using X-rays.

“Sometimes by shining a light on the teeth, you can see them,” says Dr. Kahn. But these craze lines start very small, like a crack in a car window, and can go as deep as a deep, wide crack.

“These craze lines can become so deep that the fractured tooth is unable to heal and eventually you have to lose the tooth.”

Is chewing ice a sign of iron deficiency?

Caregivers are not sure of the exact cause, but yes, the urge to chew ice all the time may be a sign of iron deficiency or anemia. “Whenever I see someone as a chronic ice chewer, I refer them to their primary care physician for blood work, especially to check iron levels,” says Dr. Kahn. “Chewing ice can indicate iron deficiency.” 

In general, if you’ve been chewing on ice every day, Dr. Kahn says it’s a sign that something’s going wrong—whether it’s related to iron deficiency, stress, or anxiety.

“If you only chew on ice once, the bad habit may be accidental,” he added. “But chronic chewing can indicate mental problems.”

Some people say that the cold feeling of ice is a pain reliever for them. Therefore, instead of chewing ice, it is better to put the ice in your mouth to melt or eat crushed ice in the form of ice water with fruit syrup.

However, Dr. Kahn cautions against replacing ice chewing with another type of chewing. “If you chew gum, it’s soft, but it takes a lot of muscle power to chew gum,” he explains. If the teeth are sensitive to breaking, you can also break the teeth.”

Your GP may consider that cognitive-behavioral therapy is right for you. This method is used for some habits that you want to cut.

“Chewing ice should have its relaxing effect, and that’s why it’s ongoing,” says Dr. Kahn. Some people get better after doing this. But sometimes stress and obsessive behavior cause ice chewing. In such cases, some cognitive-behavioral therapy may be helpful.”

If you fear that you have damaged any type of filling, restoration, porcelain crown, or even your tooth, call your dentist. By conducting radiation therapy tests and a clinical study, it is determined what happened and how much damage was done.

“If you have a toothache, one or two teeth hurt, they may be broken,” says Dr. Kahn. You may have lost fillings, you may have broken a tooth, or the small membrane around the tooth may have been damaged. With the advice of a dentist in Hamilton, the cause and extent of the damage can be identified.”