Blog

Do your teeth look chipped, worn down, shortened or discoloured? If so you may be suffering from tooth wear.

Some minor tooth wear is natural but often habits such as tooth grinding (in your sleep) or a diet high in acidic substances can cause premature wear of the teeth.

This isn’t just a cosmetic problem. It can also lead to damage to the nerves inside the teeth and ultimately lead to tooth loss. With tooth wear the nerves can become exposed and irritated inside the tooth. The nerve is normally protected by dentine and enamel. When they wear away the nerve is exposed to cold, hot, acidic and sweet things and this can lead to great discomfort.

The strongest material in the body is tooth enamel and this is normally designed to last your whole lifetime. With grinding and acidic substances this layer can be worn away and the softer dentine underneath is exposed. This material is 7 times softer than enamel so as soon as the enamel has gone there is disaster on the way. The process of tooth destruction speeds up 7 times! What that means is it is critical that you never allow teeth to be worn through to dentine or there is going to be a massive problem to fix.

Signs to look out for...

Your natural teeth should be of slightly different lengths with your two front teeth the longest. If they are all the same or you can see a clear wear pattern then you may have a problem…

If you see craze or crack lines in your enamel you may be clenching or grinding your teeth and a trip to the dentist is a good idea…

Treatments

Luckily treatment has never been less invasive. We are using more and more composite buildups to restore your teeth to their natural beauty. With recent advances in injection molding we can create a beautiful smile without having to cut away any more valuable tooth structure.

If you suffer from sensitivity the buildups should also help to protect your tooth nerves from attack and make eating and drinking a lot more comfortable.