Do you often find yourself munching on ice? Do you feel like having ice cube as a snack rather than having chips or donuts? Do you not understand why are you craving ice all the time when you know that it has no nutritional value?
Pagophagia is the term used to describe ice craving and is usually due to a deficiency of iron or leads to iron deficiency anemia in some cases. For some reason, this iron deficiency can cause us to crave and crunch ice. A simple checkup from your doctor can verify or disprove this deficiency in you.
Side Effects of Chewing Ice
Chewing ice may seem innocent enough, but the reality of the matter is that you are putting your teeth at risk. People who constantly chew ice, are just asking for tooth damage. Not surprisingly, even casual ice chewers sometimes cause their teeth damage. During the summer, when people are beginning to overheat and resort to ice chewing, dental offices always see a spike of ice chewing related injuries.
Chewing ice can lead to cracked or chipped teeth as well as problems associated with fillings or crowns. Surprisingly, chewing ice has also been reported to cause gum injuries as well as enamel damage. Chewing ice excessively has led to increasingly sensitive teeth.
If you are experiencing any of these issues, you should contact your dentist immediately.
How to Overcome the Issue
What can you do if you don’t want to stop chewing ice, or feel that you can’t, but you also don’t want to damage your teeth? Try letting ice dissolve in your mouth rather than chewing the ice. Another fun option is to chew shaved ice, which is much softer!
If you have any other questions please give us a call today.