The Concerns About Worn Down Teeth

The teeth are worn down with time and you don’t even realize that something like this is happening. It is a common condition. However, dentist is usually the first person who informs people about their worn down teeth. Most of the people have no idea how serious this issue can be.

While this issue seems to be cosmetic, it is something much more than just being cosmetic. According to dental experts, tooth wearing can be ranked as third most severe issue after tooth decay and gum disease. Having that said, it is worth mentioning the risks, which your oral cavity might get exposed against, in case your teeth are worn down.

Reason for the tooth wearing

There are many reasons for the teeth to wear down over time. Eating, speaking and diet promote tooth wearing at different levels. However, the most significant reason for teeth wearing remains to be the teeth grinding, also known as bruxism. People grind their teeth mainly due to stress. However, some people have this problem of teeth grinding at night while they are asleep.

How the worn down teeth look like?

Tooth wear at mild level is normally not visible. This is the reason that most of the people are not aware about this issue with their teeth. Severe tooth wear, on the other hand, is usually more visible as the teeth appear shorter with sharp edges. Moreover, the teeth appear more yellow in this case. Severe tooth wear can result in pain.

Consequences of tooth wear

The first thing that tends to happen with worn down teeth is their increased exposure to the tooth decay. The major reason is that worn down teeth lose tooth enamel and their dentin is more exposed against the foreign elements, bacteria and infections. When enamel is gone, the dentin cannot put any resistance against infectious elements which can make things quite worse for the dental health.

Another major consequence of tooth wear is the uneven bite. When the teeth are worn down, the upper and lower jaws do not quite settle with each other. The immediate disadvantage of this situation is that you will not be able to chew your foods properly. And the long term disadvantage includes TMJ disorder which can lead to other pains in the head and neck area.

And finally, the severely worn down teeth can result in the significant change in the way your face may look. This is due to the shorter size of lower jaw due to shorter size of teeth.

Night guard

While you may able to prevent clenching of your teeth during day time, you may wonder what you can do to prevent this practice during night. The best way is to use a night guard which looks almost same as a sports mouth guard. By wearing a night guard, you shift the pressure of your teeth into the rubber of night guard. Hence, you will be able to prevent the wearing down of your teeth.

Moreover, you will need to consult your dentist in order to treat this issue permanently.