We all know the feeling—your drink is finished, and the leftover ice calls to you. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. But is it actually safe?
According to dental experts (like Dr. Matthew Cooke from the University of Pittsburgh), nope. Hard ice cubes can cause enamel cracks, cavities, and even broken teeth. Yikes.
🧠 But there’s a twist: Not all ice is created equal.
Chewable nugget ice is much softer than traditional cubes. It’s made of layers of flaked ice pressed into pellets—full of air pockets, which makes them way easier on your teeth. One bite test showed:
Regular Ice Cube: ~178.5N of force
Raw Carrot: ~153N
Nugget Ice: ~64.5N (just 1/10 of average bite force!)
TL;DR: If you have to chew ice, make it nugget ice. Your dentist will thank you.
.
.