Summer is upon us. And if you doubted that you can take a look at the thermometer. With the hot days and weeks ahead of us, we always look to find ways of keeping ourselves cool.

You’ve always been told to drink plenty of water every day, but especially on hot days. Well, how about chewing on ice cubes? Isn’t that the same as drinking water plus it cools us way down!

The problem with chewing on ice cubes is that it can cause damage to your teeth. There are all sorts of crunchy foods we all eat and enjoy: pretzels, nuts, chips, etc. All of these foods (including ice cubes) place a tremendous amount of force upon our teeth and jaw joints. And the more we subject our chompers to these types of foods the more chance of dental trauma we have. Chipped teeth, cracked or broken fillings, loose caps and jaw pain are just a few examples. And while these are all repairable by your dentist, this damage is avoidable. So when it comes to chewing on ice, simply don’t. We subject our teeth to plenty other hard and crunchy stuff. One less is better. Instead of actively biting into and crushing the ice cube in your mouth, just move it around with your tongue and let it melt naturally. You’ll feel the cooling effect of the ice cube in your mouth, get the water that you need and avoid damaging your teeth. Be sure to check out our other blog posts for healthy summer snacks and more.