What is Tooth Wear?
Tooth wear is the loss of tooth structure by means other than decay. It does not involve mouth bacteria. There are three main types of tooth wear:
- Dental Erosion: the most common and damaging type caused by excessive acid dissolving the tooth structure. It is caused most commonly by excessive and frequent consumption of acidic drinks such as fruit juice, fizzy drinks or alcohol. It is less commonly caused by stomach acid contacting the teeth e.g. heartburn from stomach ulcers, repeated vomiting from pregnancy, anorexia or bulimia.
- Dental Attrition: the wearing of your teeth caused by excessive forces from other teeth. Most commonly caused by abnormal loads being applied to the teeth e.g.night-time grinding (Bruxism) or normal loads being put through fewer remaining teeth.
- Dental Abrasion: the wearing of your teeth from a foreign body e.g. excessive tooth brushing, chewing abrasive foods or abnormal habits e.g. crushing ice, cutting selotape with teeth.
The body’s natural defence against all of these types of tooth wear is saliva. It lubricates the teeth and neutralizes acid that enters the mouth. Therefore, any condition that affects the production of saliva e.g. medication, or the quality of saliva will have a large impact on the amount of tooth wear you may suffer.
Early diagnosis of the causes of tooth wear is essential in limiting the irreversible damage caused and the extent of restorative dentistry needed to repair the worn teeth.
