How common is it?
Tooth wear is generally accepted to increase with age. This is expected as during our lifetime our teeth are subject to wear and tear; however, wear only becomes a problem when it exceeds the accepted norm for a particular age. In recent studies 67% of people assessed had some tooth wear that had worn their enamel away, 11% had moderate tooth wear with extensive loss of enamel and 1% had severe wear with exposure of a nerve of a tooth. More worrying is the amount being seen in children – surveys show that in 12-15 year olds 25% show abnormal and worrying wear on their front teeth and first molar teeth. This trend is mainly due to a huge increase in the consumption of fruit juices and fizzy drinks by children.
- Soft drinks and fruit juice consumption has doubled since 1970 and gone up by 700% since 1950.
- 65% of sales are by adolescents and children.
- 42% of fruit juice is consumed by 2-9 year olds.
- Over 50% of drinks sold are diet & carbonated many with a pH <3 – very acidic and the teeth start dissolving below pH 5.5
- Alcohol consumption increasing. ‘Alcopops’ & wine
The problem is that any damage to the teeth is permanent and will have a huge impact on the teeth throughout life. What are these teeth going to look like in a further 10, 20 or 30 years? Please contact us if you are concerned about any possible tooth wear and we will arrange for a full tooth wear assessment now.
