Chewing ice can damage teeth and might even crack them, a dentist said, adding that food such as squid, sugar cane and crab legs are also common causes of fractured teeth or damaged gums.
As the mercury is rising, many people like to drink cold beverages with ice, and some people even like to chew ice, but Shinkong Wu Ho-su Memorial Hospital dentist Lin Shih-rong (林世榮) said that he has had patients who have chipped, cracked or even split their teeth from chewing ice.
A 24-year-old woman who often enjoyed eating out with friends complained that her gums were constantly swollen and painful, and frequently bled when she ate food that was hard to chew, such as crabs and sugar cane, Lin said, adding that he diagnosed her with periodontal disease.
Periodontal disease is mostly caused by improper oral hygiene, which can contribute to plaque buildup, or receding gums in more serious cases, Lin said, adding that frequently eating hard or rubbery food causes further damage to the teeth, or inflamed, swollen or bleeding gums.
He said the proper way to clean the teeth includes brushing every surface of every tooth and the gum line, but most people only brush about 25 percent of the surface of their teeth, which can only remove about 40 percent of plaque.
If the teeth are not brushed completely, plaque can continue to damage the periodontal tissue and can cause receding gums or numbness of the teeth or gums that can affect a person’s ability to chew, he said.
In addition to thoroughly brushing the teeth and gums and flossing, using mouth wash occasionally can restrict the growth of bacteria between teeth, Lin said, adding that people should see a dentist if they develop bleeding gums, sore teeth or other symptoms of periodontal disease.
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
A tropical disturbance off the southeastern coast of the Philippines might become the first typhoon of the western Pacific typhoon season, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The system lacks a visible center and how it would develop is only likely to become clear on Sunday or Monday, the CWA said, adding that it was not yet possible to forecast the potential typhoon's effect on Taiwan. The American Meteorological Society defines a tropical disturbance as a system made up of showers and thunderstorms that lasts for at least 24 hours and does not have closed wind circulation.
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
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