Worn Teeth

When enamel covering your teeth thins down exposing the dentine, your teeth become more sensitive and prone to cavities. Thinned down enamel won’t thicken again, so it is crucial to address the problem early on and apply preventative measures. There are several ways that your teeth can wear down their protective enamel coating.

Repeated ingestion of acidic foods, such as citrus fruits (lemons, oranges, clementines, grapefruits), drinking large amounts of soft drinks and lemonade, tea and coffee, eating “sour” candies or other foods that contain citric acid, contribute to eroding your enamel, leaving you with worn teeth. If you suffer from bulimia, you expose your teeth to corrosive stomach acids every time you induce vomiting. Diminishing the quantity of acidic foods, and rinsing your mouth with water after you ingest them, will help slow down the erosion of your enamel.

Abrasion of your tooth enamel occurs when there are repeated movements, with a foreign object, that mechanically abrade the surface of the teeth. Vigorous brushing with a hard bristle toothbrush for a long period of time is the most common cause of tooth abrasion.

The chipping away of enamel can occur from various parafunctional habits such as grinding, clenching, fingernail biting, oral jewelry (lip and tongue piercing). If your teeth feel rough along the edges or have a ratty edge, you may be causing irreversible damages to your teeth.

Attrition is the medical term for normal minimal loss of enamel through daily eating, oral hygiene and aging. Severe wear is associated with teeth grinding, or bruxism, which usually occurs during your sleep. A custom-moulded mouthpiece may be prescribed in this case.

Don’t let your enamel disappear prematurely and leave you with worn teeth. Call our clinic for an enamel assessment and corrective care options for keeping your teeth healthy.