Can Chewing On Pens Actually Damage My Teeth?
By Barry Kurzer | Published on August 13, 2010 | 0 Comments
Chewing on pens and other objects can certainly damage the teeth, even though it may take months or years for that damage to actually show up in the form of pain and fractures, according to Barry Kurzer DDS, a well-known dentist in Midlothian, Virginia.
Pens, pencils, paper clips, bobby pins, and ice are just some of the inanimate objects that Kurzer has seen people chew on over the years, all of which can cause serious damage to the teeth if the chewing is done persistently.
Even if a person feels like he isn’t chewing very hard, which is often the case when people chew on pens or paperclips, the continuous nature of the grinding can still cause teeth to wear down significantly—similar to the effect of nighttime grinding known as bruxism. This persistent wearing down of the teeth can cause teeth to look ragged or uneven, and in some cases, it can even cause chipping or fractures.
To repair a chip or a fracture is no easy process, and the course of treatment for either of these conditions can be quite expensive. Kurzer says that this is yet another reason why he, and any other dentist, would encourage patients to avoid chewing on objects like pens and pencils.
Even worse than chewing on pens and pencils is chewing on ice, which Kurzer says is to blame for a number of the patients who come into his office with tooth fractures in the backs of their mouths. Because the teeth that are affected by chewing on ice are generally in the back of the mouth, it usually takes people longer to recognize a problem.
Surprisingly, the other thing that Kurzer recommends that patients stay away from is chewing gum. Chewing gum can cause the teeth to wear down considerably, and it can also cause fatigue in the joints of the jaw that can be difficult to treat. In some cases, a dentist may have to install an appliance in a patient’s mouth to get the joint back to where it should be because of inflammation caused by too much gum chewing.
The way that a tooth fracture is fixed will depend on how extensive the fracture is, and Kurzer explains that a dentist repairing a front tooth would obviously need to be more careful about making the result aesthetically pleasing than when repairing a small fracture on a back tooth.
When repairing a small fracture on a back tooth, a dentist can usually use a tooth-colored filling material. For more significant problems though, that small material could get knocked off. For major fracture repairs, it can sometimes become necessary for a dentist to use a crown—a process that is much more arduous and expensive.
Once a dentist has placed the crown, it is imperative that the patient agrees to stop chewing on gum, ice, pens, or whatever else was causing the problem to begin with. If he does not agree and continues to incessantly chew, then that could potentially cause a break in the crown that will once again be costly and painful to repair. And in a worst case scenario, a patient could potentially lose that fractured tooth altogether. That is why dentists are so adamant that their patients stop chewing on objects that do not belong in their mouths.
*Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.