Here Is Why You Should Not Chew Ice
While some people have heard of pica – the mental health condition that causes people to want to chew or eat substances of no nutritional value such as paper, clay or dirt – fewer people have heard of a subtype of the condition called pagophagia. Pagophagia is considered less serious than pica, but is recognized as “compulsive ice chewing, which can be linked to an iron deficiency,” says Dr. Roopali Kulkarni, a doctor of dental medicine and a consumer advisor spokesperson for the American Dental Association. Though the reasons for this connection are unknown, it’s an association that has been studied and observed.
Of course, not everyone who chews ice has pagophagia – or any related mental health condition for that matter. But the behavior is still damaging to one’s teeth and something dental professionals recommend against.
What causes people to chew ice?
Beyond a relatively small subset of individuals diagnosed with this craving or tendency to want to chew ice that is pagophagia, most people chew ice for a variety of other reasons. “Some people find the act of chewing ice can provide oral stimulation, similar to chewing gum,” says Kulkarni. Other times, chewing ice may soothe oral inflammation such as a swollen tongue, or it may ease the effects of dry mouth, or may be done as a tactic for quitting smoking because it gives the smoker something to focus on other than a cigarette. Ice chewing may also be “a coping mechanism” for stress or anxiety, Kulkarni notes. Other individuals may not even realize they are doing it. “Some people just mindlessly chew the ice left in their beverages without thinking about it,” says Dr. Natalie Peterson, a doctor of dental surgery at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry.