It is natural for teeth to undergo wear and tear with years. However, premature wear is not normal.
Causes of teeth wear are multifactorial and includes the following:
- Clenching and grinding
- Tooth decay
- Acidic diet (erosion)
- Hard tooth brushing (abrasion)
- Habits such as nail biting, repeated placement of objects in your mouth (pencils, piercings)
- reflux disease
- Lack of saliva
Teeth wear affects aesthetics , function and can cause Temporomandibular disorder. Excessive wearing of your teeth surfaces is an undesired effect. Teeth will become shorter in appearance, ageing the face and can become sensitive as the nerves inside the teeth become closer to the surface.
Teeth wear can become blunter to chew. The inner surfaces are softer, so wear at a faster rate, so the wear gets worse.
There is a wide assortment of therapies and treatments available to manage these related, and increasingly common, problems.
