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#1 Chewing ice
Many people habitually chew on ice, which can cause gum injuries and, most frequently, broken teeth. Sometimes the damage is severe enough to require a crown. If ice chewing is a part of your day, try sugarless gum instead. If you need the crunch, try baby carrots or apple chunks.
The urge to chew ice can also be symptomatic of iron-deficiency anemia. This is the most common form of anemia; approximately 20 percent of women, 50 percent of pregnant women, and 3 percent of men are iron deficient.
Iron-deficiency anemia is most commonly caused by inadequate iron intake, blood loss (from menstruation or surgery), or an increased need for iron (as in pregnancy or lactation).
Iron is essential to the oxygen-carrying function of the blood. Without enough iron in your blood, your red blood cells cannot provide adequate oxygen supplies to your body tissues. The result? You feel tired and listless, and your skin may look pale. Over time, as anemia worsens, it can produce an irregular heart rate as your heart pumps additional blood to make up for the low level of oxygen. Anemia should never be left untreated.
The bottom line in all of this: Take a good hard look at your ice-chewing habit. If you find it difficult not to chew ice, a call to your healthcare provider is in order. Be sure to let her know of your concerns about ice chewing.
#2 Using teeth as a scissors
Many people use their teeth to cut through string, open packages or remove tags from clothing. This can present problems for your teeth. Particularly, if you use your teeth to remove the plastic strings that affix price tags to clothing, you might find yourself with a small divot in one of your front teeth! This can lead to cracking and fracturing of the tooth later on. When in doubt, use scissors.
#3 Using toothpicks improperly
Used properly, a toothpick can be a great tool to remove food from between your teeth when you don't have floss handy (or when it just wouldn't be cool to floss). But if you get too aggressive with the toothpick, it can injure your gums or get wedged and break off between your teeth. Use toothpicks gently, don't chew on them, and be sure to use the rounded ones.
#4 Chewing pencils, pens and other foreign objects
Your teeth were meant to chew food, not writing utensils. Pencils and pens don't belong in your mouth and can fracture or break teeth, leading to expensive and otherwise unnecessary dental repairs. Besides, you don't know where these items have been, so why would you put them in your mouth? If you have to chew, stick to sugarless gum.