Should I Be Concerned About Worn Teeth?

What is Tooth Wear?

Tooth wear is when you lose a portion of your tooth’s surface. There is a certain level of wear and tear that is considered normal with age. However, certain factors can cause tooth wear that occurs beyond the normal scope and can lead to serious dental problems and pain if the wear leads to nerve exposure.

Causes of Worn Teeth

There are three different categories of tooth wear. They include attrition, abrasion, and erosion.

Attrition

Attrition is tooth wear caused by other teeth. When you clench or grind your teeth (bruxism) your teeth will begin to wear down. Imagine grinding two sticks against each other. With enough friction, the sticks will begin to wear down. The same thing occurs when you clench or grind your teeth. With attrition, the back teeth will become flatter and the front teeth will become shorter. Severe attrition can even affect your facial appearance due to the loss of tooth structure. It can also cause tooth sensitivity to sweets and hot or cold temperatures.

So what causes clenching and grinding? A number of factors. The most common causes of bruxism are stress, anxiety, or abnormal jaw positioning. An abnormal jaw position is a result of malocclusion and is commonly associated with TMJ disorders. A TMJ disorder occurs when there is an imbalance between the jaw joints, muscles, and/or nerves. It often causes jaw pain, neck pain, frequent headaches and migraines, and bruxism.

One of the best ways to prevent attrition tooth wear is with bruxism and TMJ treatment.

Abrasion

Abrasion is another type of tooth wear that can occur. It’s usually caused by friction from brushing too hard or from brushing in a horizontal motion. Abrasion can also occur from using too hard of a toothbrush. Most tooth abrasion will show evidence on the back teeth’s outer surfaces. People often experience a V shape or wedge indentation of teeth in the gum margin.

Erosion

Erosion is the last and most common type of tooth wear that can occur. When teeth come into contact with acid, the acid can dissolve the enamel and dentin. The two main sources of acid are foods and drinks and from digestion. Drinks such as soda, juices, carbonated drinks, and sports drinks can all erode the enamel. Citrus fruits can also erode enamel.

During digestion, stomach acid helps dissolve food but if it gets regurgitated, it can come into contact with the teeth and cause erosion. Vomiting or GERD can each cause stomach acid to regurgitate into the mouth.

Avoiding certain foods and drinks and seeking treatment for bulimia or GERD can help prevent tooth erosion and tooth wear.

Dental Problems Associated with Tooth Wear

People with worn teeth may experience the following problems:

• Cracked or chipped teeth
• Jaw, neck, and back pain
• Frequent headaches
• Tooth sensitivity
• Receding gums
• Tooth decay
• Yellow teeth
• Difficulty chewing and biting

Treatment aims to remove the cause, repair and strengthen the worn tooth structure, and prevent any further damage by proper maintenance. In the case of bruxism, patients may also suffer from frequent headaches or pain in their jaw joints, and treatment may require the wearing of a night guard during sleep. The worn surfaces of the teeth can often be restored to improve appearance and function.

FULL MOUTH REHABILITATION MAY BECOME NECESSARY FOR SEVERE CASES, WHICH INVOLVES SEVERAL COSMETIC DENTAL PROCEDURES DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND APPEARANCE OF YOUR SMILE.

Full mouth rehabilitation is a challenging treatment modality, as the restorative dentist needs to thoroughly understand every aspect of the dentition, its relationship to the jaw joints, and the functional interactions of the masticatory muscles. At Morgan Street Dental Centre Wagga Wagga, our clinicians undergo extensive training to develop an understanding of the dynamics of a smile, the preservation and restoration of oral health, and the creation of tooth replacements.

Please contact us for a consultation to know more about treatment options for worn down dentition.

Tooth Wear Prevention

Preventing tooth wear is easy if you’re aware of the factors in your life that can cause tooth wear. For instance, one of the easiest ways to prevent tooth wear is avoiding drinks high in acid. Swapping soft drinks, sports drinks, and carbonated drinks for still water can prevent erosion. You can also prevent erosion by not brushing your teeth too hard and not chewing on ice or other hard objects. Lastly, you can prevent tooth wear by treating bruxism and TMJ disorders.

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Dentists, however, say they are seeing the effects of beverages first hand.

Energy drinks, with a pH of roughly 3.2, are almost as acidic as battery acid, which has a pH of 1.

The acid fosters the growth of bacteria. The higher the concentration of bacteria, the more likely you are to get tooth and gum disease.

Because people are so wired after drinking an energy drink, they grind their teeth. That sometimes causes tooth breakage and tooth loss.

Energy drinks can also spur more acid reflux production, which can in turn cause more cavities.