Why Are My Teeth Wearing Down?
Tooth wear is the loss of tooth surface, not caused by decay or an injury. The wearing down of your teeth can be categorized as pathologic or physiologic. As you age there is a certain amount of wear and tear that will occur and is considered natural. Pathologic tooth wear occurs beyond the scope of what is considered normal. This can have an impact on the functionality and chewing ability, your esthetic concerns affecting your self-esteem, and can also become painful if tooth wear exposes a nerve.
Common Causes of Teeth Wearing Down
- Attrition: Attrition is when the tooth wear results from other teeth, which includes the destruction of tooth structure from clenching, grinding, and bruxism. Attrition is the wearing down of the biting and chewing surfaces of your teeth. The tooth-to-tooth contact during chewing grinds down the surfaces over time. The back teeth will become flatter, and your front teeth will become shorter.
- Severe attrition of your front teeth will have an undesirable effect on your face. It can also cause sensitivity to sweet, or hot and cold food and drinks.
- Bruxism: Bruxism is the involuntary clenching and grinding of your teeth. It can happen during waking hours, but often occurs while you sleep. The causes of bruxism are usually considered to be stress, anxiety, and abnormal positioning of your jaws and teeth, a malocclusion. You may have a neurologic component to the causes, so management becomes important if you cannot stop the grinding or clenching. The effects of bruxism can easily be controlled and made more comfortable by using a nightguard at night if identified earlier. If the tooth wear is significant then restoration is still required.
- Abrasion: Abrasion is the wearing down of the tooth surface caused by friction. This will happen when your teeth are brushed too aggressively in sweeping horizontal strokes. The use of a stiff bristle toothbrush can also cause the problem. It is most often evident on the outer surfaces of your back teeth. An indentation of the tooth can be seen right at the gumline.
How Can Tooth Wear Be Repaired?
Once the teeth wearing down has resulted in the reduction of the outer enamel, the softer inside part of the tooth, the dentin, begins to wear away at a faster rate. Dentin is considerably softer than the enamel, so the rate of wear accelerates in both the amount and rate over time.
The loss of the enamel and the resulting sensitivity of the exposed dentin can be treated by your dentist. Areas of exposed dentine can be restored with composite bonding. This putty-like, tooth colored material can be sculpted and shaped over the tooth. Your dentist might recommend a dental crown to be fitted over the entire tooth. This is when the erosion has led to a large breakdown of tooth structure. The crown can reconstruct the lost tooth structure. Sometimes a crown lengthening procedure is necessary in addition to a crown because as the tooth is worn away, it continues to erupt, pulling your gums and bone with it. If this is not corrected, an inadequate amount of tooth remains to restore it correctly and the esthetics are compromised.