We know, we know: It’s really hot all around in the political air and the pain of it can strike hard. But the pain of other things may be lurking around the corner and come at you every time you drink something really cold. I have always been a little afraid that ice could be a big issue for me. I have known since I was small I enjoyed chomping down on ice and I am pretty sure now that was a sign of malnurishment. But what happens when you chomp down on ice when you are a bit older and what could that mean for your dental health? Now, with hotter months coming, the more ice cream, ice-cold drinks, and ice in general. Despite ice is a great thing, though, there’s a tendency for some people to eat ice more than they realize. And we’re sure you’ve heard of the saying “it’s bad to chew on ice.”
Well, that’s not just a myth. It really does have merit. Ice can be quite harmful to the general state of your dental health, so don’t ignore the warnings that it’s bad to chew on ice. It really is. One of the main issues with what I can do is the effect is has on actually wearing away enamel.
Ice isn’t a soft substance, of course, which means it’ll be able to erode your enamel over time, especially if you’re a chronic ice chewer. This is only asking for existing plaque to take hold and create cavities.
It is also possible that the issues that ice can have are really as simple as cracking a tooth.
Just like chewing on hard candy or any other hard food or item, ice can actually crack your tooth depending on where you’re chewing it in your mouth and how brittle your teeth are. The scary thing about this is you may not even know you’ve cracked a tooth since microfractures are a thing. When this happens, you probably won’t even see or hear it take place. But once microfractures have happened, it’s much easier for bacteria to get inside your tooth.
To me one of the long lasting issues is that it can be sensitizing your teeth. I personally hate using this term because to me sensitive teeth is just really pain. Pain is something that happens when my teeth feel sensitive and there is no other or nice way of saying it.
Ice directly on the enamel of your teeth won’t affect your nerves much, but when a microfracture happens because of chewing on ice, it’s much easier for unwanted bacteria to get inside your tooth and attack your nerve tissue. When this happens, your teeth become much more sensitive to heat and cold. Guess what happens then? You’ll no longer even want to eat ice because it hurts too much.
