Can ice ruin your teeth

Hard foods that can be bad news for your teeth include hard lollies, candy canes, popcorn kernels, and even olives with unsuspecting seeds. To keep your teeth healthy and protected, avoid the temptation to chew on ice cubes and instead opt for a cool drink to help keep you chilled when the mercury rises. If you need to visit your local National Dental Care practice, you can book an appointment online today. Published on October 20, Is eating or chewing ice bad for your teeth?

Share Post. It may seem like a harmless habit, but chewing on ice is very damaging to your teeth for several reasons. Chewing on ice wears down the enamel on your teeth. Enamel is what keeps your teeth strong and protected from chewing, biting, crunching, and grinding. The more it wears down, the more likely you are to have tooth damage, tooth sensitivity, or cavities. Putting freezing-cold ice into your mouth causes fillings to expand.

When fillings expand, they last for a shorter period of time. Therefore, chewing on ice will result in more visits to the dentist to get these refilled. Ice is hard and sharp, so it can easily puncture and damage your gum tissue. With the gum issue already facing enough risk with the food you eat every day, there is no need to make the situation worse. Sharp edges on ice have also been known to crack teeth. When you bite down on ice, you put a lot of pressure on small areas in your mouth, and sometimes your mouth cannot bare the load.

A lot of times, small, unnoticeable fractures develop over time from repeated ice chewing, and eventually a large fracture results. If your child has an oral appliance, it is important that you communicate to them the dangers of chewing ice.

Chewing ice can easily lead to a cracked or chipped tooth, which requires an emergency dental visit to repair the broken tooth. If your child has a cracked tooth, then try to save the remnants of the tooth in a small bag of milk, and immediately schedule an appointment with our office. If you act in time, we might be able to repair a fractured tooth.

Dental fillings are one of the most common oral appliances used today. Fillings can be cracked or dislodged by chewing hard substances such as ice. Losing a filling requires an immediate trip to the dentist for a repair.