What Are the Harms of Eating Ice?

On a hot day, nibbling on ice chips may be just the way to beat the summertime heat. For some, however, eating ice is a compulsion. If you find yourself eating too much ice, or feel you cannot stop eating ice, it may be brought on by an iron deficiency. Whatever your reason to for eating ice, know that it is generally safe to do but can result in some unhealthy side effects if it hits your teeth in the wrong way or is done too often or over a long period of time.

Broken Teeth

• The most obvious risk of chewing ice on a regular basis is the risk of damaging your teeth.You may bite down too hard on a piece of ice and chip or break a tooth. Breaking a tooth can be painful and cause permanent damage. If a tooth is broken or chipped, contact a dentist immediately and try to salvage the piece of tooth by putting it in a glass of milk until a dentist can be reached.

Enamel Fractures

• Eating ice can cause tooth damage that may not be apparent at first. Regularly chewing on any rough or hard substance, including ice, can result in the wearing of your tooth enamel. Biting on hard surfaces causes slight fractures in the enamel that covers and protects the teeth, which will result in tooth decay over time. Tooth decay is a serious problem and can cause other problems with the teeth later on.

Bleeding Gums

• Eating ice can also cause bleeding gums. When ice is broken up by the teeth, it can fracture in unusual ways and cause sharp edges along the sides of the ice cube. Broken and sharp ice cubes can cause harm to the gums by accidentally stabbing the sides of the gums or jabbing into the area where the tooth meets the gums. Bleeding gums is not a serious risk, but could allow bacteria to enter the body through the wound.

Accidental Drowning

• While it appears far-fetched, consuming too much water can result in a serious condition called "hyponatremia" which translates from its Greek and Latin roots to "insufficient salt in the blood." Ice is made from water, and too much water in the system in a short amount of time can cause serious health risks. One result could be overworking the kidneys, which puts them at risk of shutting down. Another risk can be an increase in blood volume, which is an issue because the blood must work in a limited amount of space. This occurs if too much water is consumed in a short amount of time and it enters the bloodstream and the cells.