What is tooth wear?
When layers of the tooth are lost, it is referred to as tooth wear.
Why do teeth wear?
A variety of factors alone or in combination cause teeth to become smaller. “Attrition”, “Abrasion” and “Erosion” are the major types of tooth wear. These can result from excessive use of a toothbrush, grinding and clenching teeth at night also known as parafunction, snoring and sleep apnoea, consuming acidic foods/ drinks or having gastric reflux which makes the mouth a very acidic environment.
The patient may present with symptoms such as morning headaches, jaw ache, breakage of teeth over the years, heightened sensitivity of teeth or teeth becoming smaller in size.
How is tooth wear intercepted?
The best way to deal with tooth wear is to first ascertain its cause. This wear can be easily intercepted once diagnosed properly.
At our practice, we take “records” of the patient and diagnose the cause of tooth wear. We then intercept this wear by doing the minimal amount of dentistry to achieve a stable bite. Prior to executing any work in the mouth, we show the patient the work to be done on their own models that are” mounted” on a jaw simulator that simulates their own jaw movements. This helps the patient get an exact understanding of what is involved in intercepting their tooth wear.
The work needed can be as simple as a few fillings or some caps or a combination of both.
Our expertise is that we specialise in “Additive” dentistry in which we RARELY advocate root canals while restoring mutilated/worn teeth so that the work done lasts very long.
When is it the best time to intercept tooth wear?
Tooth wear can inflict teens, very young adults in their twenties to people in their mid-forties to older individuals. There is no specific age bracket in which tooth wear occurs.
“A stitch in time saves Nine”
This phrase aptly describes the urgent need to address tooth wear when one notices it. Sometimes the fix can be very simple such as removing an “interfering” wisdom tooth. Prolonged tooth wear over several years is the cause of tooth loss, jaw ache and TMJ problems, hence this must be intercepted early on.