Worn Teeth: Common Causes And Treatments

Worn teeth: Is it normal for teeth to wear over time?

Worn teeth are a natural part of ageing. In fact, most people will experience some wear and tear to their teeth over their lifetime. It makes sense, considering we use our teeth to eat, bite, and tear food for our entire adult life. 

While a small amount of wear shouldn’t affect your bite or the appearance of your smile, severely worn teeth can lead to problems with your teeth. Here’s how to know if the wear and tear of your teeth is normal or when to seek treatment.

What do worn teeth look like?

Our teeth are naturally protected by a hard outer layer called enamel. This shell protects our teeth from damage. It also protects our teeth from sensitivity when eating hot and cold foods. 

Enamel is also what makes our teeth look white. Below this layer is the dentin – which is yellow. When the enamel starts to wear down it can change the shape and appearance of our teeth. 

While a small amount of wear and tear isn’t usually noticeable, if you have more severe wear and tear, you may notice your teeth look very short, flat, sharp or uneven. They may also appear quite yellow from where the enamel has begun to wear away. 

Worn teeth can also cause other symptoms like sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures, pain when you bite down or just the feeling that your bite is a bit ‘off.’

What is the cause of worn teeth?

While normal wear can happen over time from our upper and lower rows of teeth coming into contact with one another, more severe wear is usually caused by erosion or abrasion.

Abrasion

Abrasion is caused by grinding and clenching the teeth together. Over long periods of time, this can wear down the structure and cause teeth to look short and flat. 

Bruxism

Severe or ongoing clenching and grinding of the teeth and jaw is called bruxism.

Brushing too hard

Brushing too aggressively, especially with a hard-bristled toothbrush can erode tooth enamel over time. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush instead.

Acidic food and drink

Drinking acidic foods such as fruit juice, sodas, energy drinks or eating citric fruit can erode tooth enamel over time. Drinking water after eating fruit and avoiding acidic drinks can help prevent tooth erosion.

Uneven teeth

If you have a crooked bite or uneven teeth, this can also cause wear on certain teeth. 

Chewing on objects

There are some causes of worn teeth that can be avoided. Chewing on objects like pencils, toothpicks, fingernails or pen caps can wear down our teeth. Avoid using your teeth as a tool.

Can worn teeth cause dental problems?

Wear and tear can cause significant dental problems because of how susceptible to decay they are. If teeth get too worn, they can be hard to repair. With less tooth surface to work with, it can be hard to remove a cavity without damaging the remaining structure of the tooth. 

Worn teeth can also lead to an uneven bite. This can make chewing uncomfortable and sometimes even painful. An uneven bite can even lead to headaches, neck and jaw pain.

Once tooth enamel wears down, it can’t be replaced. There are ways to fix worn teeth and prevent further erosion of the tooth structure or the surface enamel.

How to fix worn teeth?

There are several ways to fix worn teeth. 

• Dental crowns restore the functionality of a tooth especially if much of the existing structure is worn away. 
• Dental bonding involves applying a tooth-coloured composite to teeth to fix the worn edges of your teeth. 
• Flouride treatments can prevent further tooth enamel erosion.

What should you do if your teeth are showing signs of wear?

If you have a dental concern, see your dentist sooner than later. Regular dental appointments can help you keep on top of your oral health. 

At Gentle Dental, we have four practices across Wellington, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt to choose from and a wide range of opening hours, including late nights and some Saturdays. Book an appointment now.