Your teeth will last a lifetime with careful treatment. But a certain amount of wear as we age is natural. Wear begins with the degradation of a strong, transparent enamel that makes up the external surface of the teeth and can, in more severe cases, lead to dentin, a softer inner tooth structure.
Tooth enamel is the strongest substance in the human body. It is heavily mineralized and non-living, as opposed to living tissues such as bone and dentin. Tooth enamel is particularly immune to wear and chemical attack since it’s built to do what teeth do every day: crunch, chew, and consume acidic foods and liquids.
Over time, your tooth enamel may be stripped off for a number of purposes. Your body has the means to compensate for slight wear. However, as tooth wear grows increasingly severe, intervention can be required to keep the bite working correctly and to preserve your smile.
Types Of Tooth Wear
Abrasion: Abrasions are often caused by contact between your teeth or other material that rubs or scrapes. A prevalent cause of abrasion is aggressive brushing of teeth. If you use a toothbrush that is too rough or presses too hard when your brush, you can cause mini-abrasions on your teeth. This will negatively impact the exterior of your teeth both below and above your gum line. You may also cause an abrasion by overzealous flossing or using toothpicks excessively. Other causes of tooth abrasions may be dentures or retainers since these devices are taken out and put back in frequently. Some foods in your diet, such as sunflower seeds and nuts, may also cause abrasions. Habits such as pen-chewing, ice-chewing, or nail-biting are also leading causes of tooth abrasions.
Attrition: Attrition is most commonly caused by clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth. While biting and chewing food only generate forces between 13 and 23 pounds, activities such as grinding and clenching your teeth generate 10 times that amount. Not only do these habits cause jaw pain, but they can also cause your teeth to wear down significantly.
Erosion: Once teeth interact with the acidic chemicals in your food, the acid will actually damage your tooth enamel. Offenders with this type of tooth wear mostly include sodas, sports drinks, some fruit juices, and energy drinks. Restricting yourself from drinking these drinks during meals and drinking water after will help you avoid corrosion from these beverages.
Treatments For Tooth Wear
To heal your damaged teeth, the source of the wear must always be identified through a clear oral exam. When the cause has been determined, the impact on the teeth can be minimized if necessary. Treatment can include instructions on how to brush your teeth softly but effectively. You may have to make changes to your diet, or we may have to make a custom mouth guard to protect your teeth from grinding/clenching.
Missing enamel occasionally has to be fixed to make the bite work better, and your smile look healthy again. This can be achieved with bonding, veneers, or crowns, varying on the case. Luckily, advanced dentistry can repair the natural form, look, and functionality of worn teeth.
