Worn Teeth
Worn teeth primarily result from excessive brushing and / or grinding of teeth. When the teeth become worn the hard outer protective layer is eroded which can cause the teeth to become sensitive. When the enamel of a tooth is worn away, the tooth often becomes sensitive and is more susceptible to decay.
Tooth enamel may be worn away in several ways. One or more of the following factors may cause premature wear:
Attrition:
Attrition is the gradual loss of enamel through “wear”. A small amount of attrition may be caused by normal speaking and eating, but this typically doesn’t produce excessive wear. More extreme cases of attrition are typically caused by Bruxism, the grinding of teeth against teeth.
Abrasion:
Abrasion is the loss of tooth structure by mechanical forces from a foreign element. Possible sources of this wearing of tooth are :
. Brushing too hard or too long
. Fingernail biting, chewing on pens or pencils, holding needles or pins between the teeth, etc.
. Oral jewelry – Patients with pierced lips and/or tongue often wear away the enamel on adjacent teeth.
Erosion:
Dental erosion, is the irreversible loss of tooth structure due to chemical dissolution by acids not of bacterial origin. Dental erosion is the most common chronic disease of children ages 5-17. There is generally widespread ignorance of the damaging effects of acid erosion; this is particularly the case with erosion due to fruit juices, because they tend to be seen as healthy. Erosion is found initially in the enamel and, if unchecked, may proceed to the underlying dentin.
The most common cause of erosion is by acidic foods and drinks. In general, foods and drinks with a pH(measure of the acidity or basicity of a solution) below 5.0-5.7 have been known to trigger dental erosion effects. Numerous clinical and laboratory reports link erosion to excessive consumption of drinks. Those thought to pose a risk are soft drinks and fruit drinks, fruit juices such as orange juice (which contain citric acid) and carbonated drinks such as colas (in which the carbonic acid is not the cause of erosion, but citric and phosphoric acid). Additionally, wine has been shown to erode teeth, with the pH of wine as low as 3.0-3.8. Other possible sources of erosive acids are from exposure to chlorinated swimming pool water, and regurgitation of gastric acids.
Treatment of severely worn teeth:
When teeth are severely worn, it is necessary to replace the structure which has been worn away with an artificial material which is at least as hard as the missing enamel. The two materials best suited for this are gold alloys and porcelain. The gold used to restore teeth ranges from 10 to 18 carat gold depending on the application. Gold of greater purity is too soft to resist new wear. Often porcelain is used to cover the gold to make the restoration appear lifelike. Using crowns or fillings which are all-porcelain is not reccommended in patients with severe wear since the porcelain is prone to breakage when not bonded to a gold substructure. Most gold alloys used with porcelain appear silver in color due to the palladium and platinum which must be added to the gold to raise its melting point past the temperature neded to fuse the porcelain to the crown. Only cosmetic dentist can provide a proper treatment for this dental problem.
To improve your smile, improve your health, and improve your life with cosmetic dentistry visit our Dentist in Irvine / Irvine Dentist.
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