If you wear braces, use a retainer, or have expanders, chewing ice makes you particularly vulnerable to tooth damage.
Why Chewing Ice Can be Dangerous
- Broken or Fractured Teeth - Teeth are not designed to crunch extremely hard objects like ice. Chewing ice can easily lead to a cracked or chipped tooth, which will require an emergency dental visit to repair the broken tooth.
- Cracked Tooth Enamel - Tooth enamel is the first line of defense against cavities. If tooth enamel is damaged by chewing ice, it can leave a tooth more vulnerable to acid attacks and tooth decay. That’s because acids produced by bacteria can penetrate the softer layer of the tooth, the dentin, much more easily and cause tooth decay. Cracked tooth enamel can also lead to hot and cold sensitives and tooth pain.
- Damaged Dental Fillings - Chewing ice can damage existing dental work like fillings, crowns, and veneers. Damaging your dental work will require an immediate trip to your dentist for a repair. Something as simple as filling a cavity may be the solution, but other times root canals and crown replacements are necessary to repair the damage done from chewing ice.
- Destroyed Oral Appliances - Oral appliances like braces and retainers play a vital role in developing healthy smiles. Despite their sturdy construction, chewing ice can cause severe damage to brackets andwires resulting in extra visits to our office.
As with any habit, the first thing you should do is make yourself aware. If you are concerned about your oral health or if you chew on ice frequently, make sure you schedule an appointment with your general dentist to have your teeth and gums evaluated. If your teeth are damaged, your dentist will know exactly what to do to help.
Did you know? The intense craving to chew on ice is sometimes categorized as pagophagia. Pagophagia, or compulsive ice chewing, is a particular form of pica that is characterized by ingestion of ice, freezer frost, or iced drinks. It is usually associated with an iron deficiency, a calcium deficiency, dry mouth, or an eating disorder. Not everyone who loves chewing ice has pagophagia. If you occasionally enjoy crunching on ice cubes after you finish a drink, that is not pagophagia. Chewing on ice only becomes pagophagia when the drive to chew ice is intense and persistent. Studies show that some people who have the desire to chew ice also have an underlying health issue that has not yet been resolved.
