Stop Teeth From Wearing Down
If you notice that your teeth appear to be wearing down, either because they appear slightly shorter than you’re used to or because the edges are thinner or darker, you might want to know why this is happening and what you might do to stop it. The teeth can wear down for several reasons, but there is at least one of three forces at play when they do: erosion, attrition, or abrasion. It can be challenging to determine which type of wear is present because these different forces can work in combination with one another. When the teeth are physically worn down by an outside force, like a hard toothbrush or the chronic chewing of a toothpick or other object, the force at play is abrasion. When the teeth wear down due to their contact with each other, which occurs while clenching or grinding the teeth, the force is attrition. When the tooth enamel dissolves and teeth wear down due acidic chemicals in the mouth, the wear is due to erosion. The external cause of dental wear will determine the solution for the problem, and your dentist can work with you to address the cause and prevent additional wear from occurring. Whether you repair your worn down teeth with cosmetic dental restorations or not, you’ll also need to do your part in modifying the habits and behaviors that contribute to tooth wear.
Bruxism is the medical term for the chronic grinding or clenching of the teeth, and the most common causes of bruxism are stress or the misalignment of the bite. If the bite is misaligned, your dentist will address this misalignment as part of the treatment for bruxism. Custom night guards or splints, which look like the mouthguards worn by athletes during contact sports, can relieve the pressures caused by bruxism while the overarching cause is addressed and help prevent the teeth from wearing down while also reducing the muscle tension and aches bruxism can cause in the head, neck, and shoulders. Combined with stress-reduction practices, night guards can often prevent bruxism and its destructive forces of dental attrition. It's important to address bruxism before a tooth breaks, which can lead to the need for extraction.
Using your teeth as anything other than teeth can also cause them to wear down, often moreso in certain areas than others, which can, in turn, affect the bite. In this way, wear caused by abrasion can lead to wear caused by attrition. Using the teeth to open bottles or packages or chronically chewing on hard non-food items are just two ways the teeth can wear because of abrasion. It’s also not uncommon for people to brush their teeth incorrectly, aggressively scrubbing one area of the mouth more than others and causing the teeth in that area to wear down. This can result in thinner enamel, which leads to discoloration and possibly tooth sensitivity. Your dentist can help you learn proper brushing techniques and work with you to curtail other dentally destructive habits.
These symptoms of discoloration and sensitivity can also arise due to erosion. When the teeth are exposed to acidic substances, the enamel wears down, and, with continued exposure, the tooth structure itself begins to wear down. These acidic substances can be extrinsic, like the external acids in sugary foods and carbonated drinks, or they can be intrinsic, like the gastric acids in the stomach that can enter the mouth because of gastric reflux or chronic vomiting. It’s not uncommon for dental professionals to notice erosion on the teeth before patients do, as it often appears on the rear, interior surfaces of the teeth. Once the problem has been diagnosed, you and your primary care provider will work in tandem with your dental team to protect the teeth from further damage with behavior modification, medication, and other methods that address the overarching causes of dental wear by erosion.