At the age of being high as three apples, most of us love to suck our thumb or chew the ear of our favorite plush. Over time, this bad mania for chew everything is deported to the nails, pens, and even … ice cubes. Even if many people see it as a way to fight boredom or evacuate stress, experts in oral health warn against the risk of cracks, chips or teeth breaks.
If you are fond of ice cubes and the desire to bite it all the time is uncontrollable, it can also be a sign of deeper health problems. In an article in the Washington Post, several professionals share the reasons why it is strongly advised not to set his sights on ice cubes.
Chewing ice cubes can ultimately cause cracked lines, that is to say small cracks that appear on your dental enamel. They can extend and end up fracturing, or even breaking your tooth, leaving a beautiful gaping hole. For Holly Kay Shaw, assistant professor in dental medicine at Columbia University College of Detal Medicine (United States), ice is the enemy of teeth: “Even if enamel is the strongest material in the human body, it can be damaged by repeated chewing of something hard, like ice.”
Irreversible consequences
Damage caused by chewing ice can be permanent on teeth and gums. Alec Eidelman, professor of oral health policy at the Harvard School of Dental Medecine, warns: by soliciting the ligaments that connect the tooth to the alveolar bone around it, we can cause bleeding, a periodontal recession (gum withdrawal), even a bone loss of the tooth.
The chewing of ice is part of a category of habits known as “oro-facial parafunctions”, which include the creaking of the teeth, the sucking of the thumb, the lip bite and other repeated actions at the oro-facial zone (relating to the face and the mouth). These behaviors are extremely frequent – just 90% of the population is concerned – and are manifested in particular in moments of stress, anxiety or other strong emotions.
If, like the snow queen, you can’t see yourself living without ice, then opt for another form. Large pieces of hard ice are more likely to cause damage, while smaller material like crushed ice will produce the same crunchy effect, with much less force. Nevertheless, the desire to eat ice or things without nutritional value, such as earth or paper (you don’t wish you) can reveal health problems, including iron deficiency.
On the other hand, if you do not suffer from this problem but you simply love to have oral stimulation, experts recommend solutions such as liquid consumption, chewing chewing gum without sugar or chewing carrots for the crunchy side. Going from the kingdom of Arendelle to the universe of Pierre Rabbit has never been easier.
