Yes? Old habits die hard and chewing ice in your cold drink can be one of those bad habits.
Many people tend to chew ice sometimes, however, in some cases, chewing ice is a habit.
You might have been chewing ice since younger age.
However, somehow this habit is reminiscent of your childhood and you still love doing it, even in your adulthood.
You may find it nostalgic, but chewing ice has a detrimental effect on your teeth.
Thus, it is a habit or something that you need to break, most probably at an early age.
This will help to make sure your teeth do not suffer from the effects of this.
Keep on reading to learn more about the effects of chewing ice on your teeth and the steps you can take to get rid of this habit.
Chewing Ice
If you are one of the people who chew ice or a parent of a child who chews on ice, you may want to take steps to avoid chewing ice in the first place.
For most people, it is a simple habit they can develop over time.
Thus, whenever, you or your child come across the ice, you may find yourself chewing ice out of habit.
Moreover, many children find it enjoyable or their child to do this.
This is why you are unable to fall out of habit.
However, in the case of adults, it is in more cases, something more serious than a simple habit.
You may start chewing ice when you suffer from a dry mouth.
In the case of dry mouth, the salivary glands will secrete less saliva.
Therefore, your mouth will feel parched and dry.
Doing this will help to relieve some of the dryness of your mouth and can actually be soothing as a result.
However, the better option is to suck on the ice cubes rather than chew ice directly.
Another reason why you may prefer to chew ice is that it helps to relieve stress.
It is hard to chew and this action can help to reduce hunger cravings.
Furthermore, chewing ice can also mimic the action and sensation of eating.
Though, the catch here is you are not taking any calories.
With this, you can satisfy your cravings by deluding your mind that you are actually eating something.
While it may not last for long and the hunger pangs tend to kick in when you have an empty stomach, it can temporarily satisfy your cravings.
Thus, you will have a number of reasons for not foregoing this bad habit.
However, there are a lot more reasons to give up chewing ice.
It includes the damage that can incur on teeth which will have a lasting damaging effect on your oral health.
Let’s discuss how chewing ice is bad for your teeth:
Effects of Chewing Ice on Cracks and Tooth Chips
One of the important things to note is that ice is not a soft food to chew on. In fact, it is a hard object.
Your teeth may be strong, however, they are not a tool you can use to crush the ice.
In this case, such an action can cause cracks or chips on your tooth.
Moreover, when chewing ice, it often has sharp edges that can crack your teeth.
Also, this will put your teeth under more pressure even on smaller areas of your mouth.
Small fractures can occur in your teeth and you might not even be aware of it.
Thus, you will eventually end up getting a root canal or crown to fix this issue.
In case your child has a cracked or chipped tooth, you may want to hold the treatment as these teeth may be temporary or milk teeth.
With the help of a dental appointment, your Arabic female dentist can access the situation and help repair the fractured tooth.
Learn more about Root Canal Treatment in Jumeirah here.
Damage to the Enamel due to Chewing Ice
Tooth enamel is one of the hardest substances in your body, however, it is unable to form again.
Chewing ice can cause damage to the enamel.
Moreover, it can cause cracks in the enamel
Thus, these cracks often lead to tooth sensitivity as well as the formation of cavities.
Chewing ice is also damaging to the nerve ending that is present in the pulp of your tooth.
The pulp of the tooth is the innermost and softest part of your tooth.
When this happens, you may find drastic changes taking place in the temperature sensitivity.
As a result, you will feel cold and hot triggers more strongly.
In case you are already suffering from sensitive teeth, this can worsen the damage to your teeth.
Furthermore, when there is damage to the enamel, it will allow bacteria to penetrate the dentin.
This will increase the risk of developing cavities and as a result, you will need to get fillings to recover from the damage.
It is important to note that any damage to your teeth is more likely in case your enamel wears down due to chewing ice.
Other than this, there are other harmful effects to your teeth that can occur due to chewing ice.
Learn more about Dental Fillings in Dubai here.
Damage to Oral Appliances, Gums, and Fillings
In case you already have oral appliances, like retainers, braces, and expanders, or have previous dental works like fillings, crowns, or dentures, chewing ice and damaging them.
It is important to note that oral appliances are important for your teeth and bite alignment.
These include:
However, when you chew ice with these appliances, there is a risk of dislodging and damaging them.
The wires of dentures and braces can dislodge and can also cause damage to the brackets.
Therefore, it is important to avoid chewing ice altogether if you wear them.
In the case of a dental filling, ice is a freezing cold object and will put your mouth and cause expansion of your filling.
Other than this, it can also crack or dislodge them.
When you lose a filling, you will need to go to your dentist before the condition worsens.
This is because when fillings expand, they will only last for a short term.
Due to this, you will have to visit your dentist more often and this means spending more money on your teeth than getting a normal procedure for fillings.
Other than this, chewing ice will not only damage your teeth but also your gums.
Ice can have sharp edges and it can easily puncture your gum tissue.
Moreover, it can also hurt a lot and you may have bleeding in your gums, if not swelling.
Your gums are often at risk of injury due to the food you eat, some of which can be hard and chewy.
This leads to the risk of developing gingivitis and periodontal disease.
If you do not want to avoid worsening the condition, you will need to avoid chewing ice altogether.
It is important to note that chewing ice has negative effects on your health as well other than your teeth.
Let’s discuss them as follows;
Effects of Chewing Ice on your Health
When you have a habit of chewing ice, it is more likely that you also have a tolerance for eating cold things than hot ones.
However, in some cases, it can lead to brain freeze.
The same old ice cream can also cause a headache and result in soreness in your jaw.
Also, when you bite, chew, or grind the hard ice with your jaw and teeth, it causes damage.
This includes sores that can develop in your jaw.
Moreover, it can irritate the soft tissue and your mouth and leads to toothache.
Thus, eating ice can affect your health, other than damaging your oral health alone.
What’s more, is that you cannot easily get rid of this bad habit.
A nutritional deficiency can also occur like anemia which can increase your urge to chew ice.
However, in case you are deficient in iron, you may also have a craving to chew ice more.
It is important to note that iron deficiency in your body can lead to oral inflammation.
Thus, you will end you chewing ice more wanting to soothe the inflammation.
In case you are anemia, however, it can help you to stay alert and create an anti-inflammatory response against inflammation.
Other than this, obsessive-compulsive disorders, stress, and developmental disorders can be the reason you crave.
Therefore, you should take steps to reduce this urge and tackle it firsthand.
This is because it can be due to an underlying health condition.
Additionally, lookout for ways to help you avoid chewing ice.
Ho to Stop Chewing Ice
either you an abandon eating ice from your drinks or you can choose alternatives.
Some of the alternatives are:
Shaved Ice
One of the alternatives to avoid chewing ice is to go for shaved ice.
Moreover, you can also go for popsicles, cold drinks, or slushies. Anything but hard ice would do.
These soft alternatives are easier to chew and will not pose any harm to your teeth like fractures or chips to the teeth.
However, note that popsicles and flavored ice will contain a lot of calories that can make your teeth susceptible to cavities.
Eat Something Else
You may find it hard at first, however, try eating something that is healthier than ice.
For this, you can eat apples, carrots, and leafy greens that are good for both your oral and overall health.
Moreover, these crunchy vegetables will give you the satisfaction that is just like that f chewing ice while also stimulating saliva in your mouth.
Melting Ice in Mouth
In case you are unable to skin ice, the least you can do is avoid chewing it.
Hold the ice cube in your mouth, and let it melt. This way you can feel the cooler and refreshing sensation for longer.
Iron Supplements
In case the chewing ice habit is due to iron deficiency, you can take supplements.
Moreover, you can also eat iron-rich foods that will help you withdraw from the habit of chewing ice.
This, in turn, will give your healthier teeth and better oral health.
Final Thoughts
Chewing ice may be refreshing for you, however, in case you have a habit of it, it can negatively affect your oral and dental health. Moreover, it can also affect your overall health as well(skin and teeth both).
Thus, it is important to take steps to avoid this habit altogether. You can choose alternatives like using shaved ice, slushies, melting ice in your mouth, etc, to stop this habit.