Chewing Ice Can Damage Your Teeth

Wazio Orthodontics

Chewing ice is an incredibly common habit. Some people chew on ice after finishing a drink, while others do it to cool off in the summer heat. Chewing ice may also help relieve stress or aid in relaxation. No matter what the reason people chew ice, just like many other hard foods, chewing ice can cause a myriad of oral health issues, and even cost you an expensive trip to your dentist or orthodontist.

If you already have fillings, crowns, or veneers, or if you wear braces, use a retainer, or have expanders, chewing ice makes you particularly vulnerable to tooth damage.

How Chewing Ice Can Damage Your Teeth

• Broken or Fractured Teeth - Teeth may seem tough and durable, but they aren’t 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 - Breaking or chipping a tooth is not the only outcome of chewing ice. Often times, people will crack their tooth enamel without knowing it. 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 sensitivities and tooth pain.

• Damage 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, wires, and aligner trays resulting in extra visits to our office.

Although there are much worse habits to have, as your local orthodontist,  the team at Wazio Orthodontics recommends breaking this habit as soon as you can.

If you love chewing on ice and need some ideas to shake the habit, try these tricks:

1. Let Ice Cubes Melt in your Mouth - Instead of chewing on the ice cubes, try holding them in your mouth and letting them melt. The satisfying cool sensation will last longer, and you won’t damage your teeth or gums.
2. Say No to Ice - Skip ice altogether. If it’s not in your glass, the temptation to chew it is gone.
3. Choose a Crunchy Alternative - When you feel like you need a satisfying crunch, reach for carrot sticks, cucumber, or apple slices instead of ice…you will get the same crunch without any tooth damage. Also, chewing on healthy fibrous foods will stimulate saliva production, which acts as a natural mouthwash.

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 already damaged, your dentist will know exactly what to do to help.

Why do people chew ice?  “Pica" is the medical term for craving and chewing on items with little or no nutritional value — such as ice, dirt, clay, chalk, paper, paint, sand, and rocks. Chewing on ice is called pagophagia, and it’s the most common form of pica. Compulsive ice chewing is considered a symptom of anemia, particularly iron-deficiency anemia. 

Medical scientists aren’t 100% sure why people with anemia seem compelled to chew ice. Still, they suspect the coolness of the crunchy cubes may soothe the oral inflammations often caused by iron deficiencies. 

A study from Medical Hypotheses indicates that eating ice acts like a cup of strong coffee for those with insufficient iron. Anemics often report feeling fatigued and foggy-brained due to their bodies’ inability to produce enough oxygen-carrying hemoglobin. 

Our bodies have a hardwired response to being submerged in cold water. Our heart rates slow, and the blood vessels in our legs and arms constrict. The idea is to keep the brain fed with oxygen and protect the body's other core functions. Researchers think that the cold jolt provided by chewing ice might push better-oxygenated blood to the brain, which would help people with anemia feel awake and focused.

Not everyone who loves chewing ice has pagophagia, but studies show that some people who have the desire to chew ice also have an underlying health issue that has not yet been resolved. Consider getting a physical checkup to see if you have anemia or another issue causing you to crave ice.