Yes, Oral pH Matters
We Checked Your List Twice, and We’re Crossing Out ‘Chewing Ice’ Is Chewing Ice Bad for You?
You know Dasher and Dancer, and you definitely know Rudolph. Everyone’s favorite red-nosed reindeer was first born as a 1939 short story, but he truly shot to fame when his tale was adapted into a song by Gene Autry in 1949. Rivaling even the song’s fame is the Rankin/Bass stop-motion special that airs like clockwork every year around Christmas. Generations have now grown up with Rudolph, so it may be surprising to learn that his journey to the small screen started as a General Electric promotion. The company had a running television special on NBC called the “GE Fantasy Hour,” which they used to market their products directly to viewers. The better the story they told, the more viewers they got — and the more toasters they could sell. The script introduced crucial new characters like Hermey the elf, Yukon Cornelius the prospector, and of course, Bumble the abominable snowman. GE hired innovative Japanese animators to create the film using stop-motion techniques that were highly advanced for the time. GE invested the modern equivalent of $4.5 million into the production of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and the special first aired in 1964. Those who are familiar with the film know that it ends with Rudolph enlisting Santa to save the Misfit Toys from earlier in the movie — but it didn’t originally. The version that aired in 1964 concludes with Rudolph leading Santa’s sleigh but forgetting all about his homeless friends. The backlash was swift, and viewers wrote in to express displeasure at the heartless resolution. GE decided the special had to be corrected and played again with the proper ending in 1965. And so, a tradition of annual airings was born. Today, “Rudolph” is the longest-running Christmas special in history, and our favorite misfit deer shows no signs of slowing down after 57 years. The movie has transformed into a marketing bonanza, with new Christmas decorations, figurines, and toys being produced each year. RUDOLPH, YOU’LL GO DOWN IN HISTORY BEHIND THE EVERGREEN CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
As you stand around the holiday party, you might be tempted to chew some ice. Well, don’t — please! We’re begging you. Here’s why. ICE MAKES YOUR TEETH BRITTLE AND MORE LIKELY TO CHIP. Ice is cold, and that’s a real problem for ice chewers. Imagine putting a solid bar of chocolate in the freezer. Now,
imagine taking a hammer to that freezing cold bar. It would shatter into tiny pieces, right? If you had taken a hammer to a room temperature chocolate bar, you would get a few medium size pieces worthy of a campfire s’more. Physics dictates that when things are frozen, they become brittle and are more likely to shatter. When you’re crunching through a cup of ice, your teeth start to freeze and become brittle. The brittleness of your cold teeth, mixed with the hard nature of ice cubes, can cause your teeth to fracture. While your teeth might not crack in half, chewing ice can cause microscopic cracks in the surface of your tooth enamel, which can lead to bigger dental problems over time like chipped teeth, problems with existing dental work such as fillings and crowns, and sore jaw muscles. You may also notice your teeth become extremely sensitive to hot and cold temperatures and are more prone to cavities. While crushed ice is less harmful than larger cubes, it still doesn’t have our blessing. CAN’T GET ENOUGH? CHEWING ICE COULD MEAN YOU’RE ANEMIC. If you or someone you know falls into the “compulsive ice chewer” category, there is a good chance there is a larger issue fueling the obsession. Craving or chewing ice is the most common symptom of pagophagia. Pagophagia is a condition related to iron-deficiency anemia where people compulsively crave and chomp on ice. The good news is that iron supplements tend to ease the cravings. About 20% of cases are pregnant women (Dr. Brooks’ wife has experienced this!), since their iron stores can easily get depleted while supplying both themselves and their growing fetuses. It shouldn’t be hard to stop chewing ice, but if you can’t, there could be a deeper medical issue at hand. Make an appointment with your dentist and/or primary care doctor if you’re concerned about the effects of ice chewing to your health!
Even with newer animations and technology, fond childhood memories mean that parents continue to pass this special down to their kids. Its timelessness is thanks to the creative animation and famous songs, which continue to bring joy and Christmas spirit to households around the country. Just as sure as Santa comes every year, so does Rudolph.
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