Is chewing ice harmful to teeth?
Chewing ice on a regular basis can cause damage to teeth. The main problem I see in my patients who chew ice, is fracture lines in their teeth. Fracture lines are not unusual, especially as we grow older but I see an unusually large amount of fracture lines in “ice-chewers”. These fracture lines can cause teeth to be sensitive to cold and/or biting pressure. Once these symptoms appear, the best treatment is to place a crown on the tooth. Occasionally, if these cracks are deep enough, they “kill” the nerve in the tooth, making root canal treatment necessary. It may occasionally be necessary to extract the tooth. Chewing ice can also cause a piece of the tooth to completely fracture off. Again, this is treated by placing a crown on the tooth. This habit can also cause the enamel to wear away more quickly as we see in people who grind their teeth (bruxism). This makes your teeth more susceptible to decay.
