Ice Chewing
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Ice Chewing
There's really nothing like the feeling and sound of ice crunching between your teeth on a hot day but, unless you're in a hurry to foot the very expensive bills for the cosmetic dentistry or even emergency dentistry that will be necessary to repair your damaged teeth, you better cool off on the ice chewing.
Fracture lines, chips, and cracks are common results from frequent ice chewing, and if any is large enough the victim could require a root canal or even a tooth extraction! For most minor ice-chewing related nicks, your dental insurance might not even cover the procedure, forcing you instead to get expensive cosmetic dentistry to fix the chips.
Even if frequent ice chewing does not result in one of these more serious effects, it will still wear down the enamel on your teeth much faster than is normal, which leads to cavities.
If you're a chronic ice chewer, it's really in your teeth's best interest for you to break the habit. You can try drinking your drinks through a straw to help you resist the urge or simply order drinks without ice altogether, but the rush of the crunch just isn't worth the damage you're doing to your oral health.
Comments
7/16/2006 11:42:58 PMIce Lover said:
As an extreme ice chewer myself, I feel it's important to not only validate this tip, but to add another word of caution: chronic ice chewing is connected to anemia. If you can't stop chewing ice, call your doctor and have your blood checked. After YEARS of chronic ice chewing and ignoring the advice of my dentist, I unexpectedly collapsed during my vacation in a foreign country. My hemoglobin level was extremely low--less than half of what is considered in the normal range. I was hospitalized for several days and faced a possible blood transfusion. This was a horrible experience as no one spoke English & I had no way of communicating anything about my own health. So, with many chipped/repaired teeth in my mouth & a note from an Italian doctor, I'm headed for an appointment with an internist. It's time to retire the snow cone machine.
7/20/2006 3:52:45 PM
Julia Ansley said:
I wish there was some way I could quit chewing ice. I am terrified to go into the dentist because I don't want him to know that I chew ice.
7/27/2006 11:43:57 PM
Maggs said:
It is hard to resist. I think ice chewing is a form of self-hurting for endorphins. It also hurts my ears. I have had tinitus since I satarted chewing ice. I think there should be a support grop for stopping!
3/14/2007 3:13:41 PM
monique said:
i am a chronic ice chewer (i'm talking about years), tried to stop but couldn't figure why i couldnt stop until today while i was just researching the topic. i like your article, my teeth are not chipped or cracked but i am afraid that they will erode until they eventually disappear, and i'll be forty with very short or almost non-existent molars. i intend to see my doctor like yesterday so that i can get iron treatment and this wouldn't happen. but my question is- is this possible that a person can run out of teeth in this way and be left with fewer means of ingesting food? if so is there any way of adding back the lost enamel? please respond.
8/8/2007 8:08:49 AM
Anonymous said:
I've been chewing ice for many years (I'm 20 now) and I have never had damage from chewing ice, my dentist has never mentioned anything (I don't think he can tell), and I just donated blood with a hemoglobin level of 15.4 so I'm not sure if this advice is good for everybody. If your teeth hurt than stop but if you dont have cavities, damage, or anemia then why not just chew away and be smart.
2/3/2009 5:49:34 PM
Kitty said:
Yeah, I have been chewing ice since I was 12. After that I had gone to the dentist so many times for cavities and chips in my teeth. The hard thing is for me to stop chewing ice. I know what it does to my teeth and my paycheck and dentist bills do as well. So I would advise to stop eating ice and go see your doctor about it because you might be animic. Then you can take iron pills and trust me, they do work. I have been off of ice for 6 months now and my dentist says that my teeth have not gotten worse, but it'll still be a while untill they are finally all fixed and filled.
9/22/2011 6:53:06 PM
angie said:
I'm eating ice as I'm reading all this info LOL I've been chewing ice for about 11yrs and its becoming more and more often I CANT STOP! I love the feeling 4um chewing ice
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