Can Worn Down Teeth Be Fixed?
You can develop a number of dental problems from worn down teeth, tooth damage and tooth loss. Dental cavities and gum disease are the most common and frequent oral health problems. Bruxism, or chronic teeth grinding, is a condition that can also seriously damage your teeth.
The two major causes for worn down teeth is erosion, or tooth loss from exposure to acidic substances. These acids can come directly from your body from reflux or vomiting, or from food and beverages such as acidic fruits and soft drinks. Tooth on tooth wear is also the result of clenching or grinding.
With continuous friction day in and day out, the teeth can begin to wear down. With this attrition, the back teeth become flatter, and your front teeth become shorter. Severe attrition can affect your facial appearance due to the loss of tooth structure.
When the enamel on your teeth is worn away, the nerve endings in the dentin can become exposed. Worn-down teeth can make you extremely sensitive to some food and drinks and can become painful when brushing your teeth.
Today the dental industry offers cosmetic solutions to rebuild broken and worn-down teeth and restore them to their natural shape, length, and function. Your dentist can use dental bonding, porcelain veneers or dental crowns to rebuild your teeth and your healthy smile to how you enjoyed it, or even better than how it was before.
Treatment Options for Worn Down Teeth
- Tooth Reshaping- Tooth reshaping is the most conservative of all options. Worn down teeth that have become flat are simply reshaped to create the natural curves of your more youthful teeth. The procedure requires no anesthesia. For your teeth with chipped areas that are worn flat and appear aged, tooth reshaping is a helpful solution to recreate a more youthful smile.
- Dental Bonding- Cosmetic tooth bonding can use the same composite resin that is often used to fill and repair cavities. Made of a pliable, tooth-colored material, dental bonding can cover many imperfections in a tooth, such as chips, cracks in the enamel or discolorations. It can also reshape a tooth that is misshapen or worn down from simple normal wear and tear that happens often with aging. Dental bonding usually does not require any anesthesia, can be performed in just one office visit, and is an extremely easy and conservative treatment for correcting dental imperfections, since it can be applied without removing any of your healthy enamel.
- Porcelain Veneers- While dental bonding is a viable choice in many cosmetic cases, porcelain veneers are quite durable and stain-resistant for correcting worn down teeth and other tooth imperfections. Consisting of thin porcelain shells that cover the front of your teeth, veneers can be used to mask imperfections as well as lengthen and reshape your teeth. Treatment usually takes two office visits.
Whatever you has caused the wearing down of your teeth in the first place, the same issues can reoccur and contribute to you wearing down your newly reconstructed teeth. After you have had your worn-down teeth repaired you might consider wearing a night guard at night to protect your teeth from being chipped or broken.