Solutions to common dental problems
Worn Teeth
You may be concerned that your teeth look shorter than they used to, discoloured or they seem more sensitive?
Tooth wear is the irreversible loss of tooth structure. Tooth wear can be unsightly, can impair use of your teeth, lead to discomfort or pain, and make you more susceptible to tooth decay and tooth sensitivity and eventual tooth loss.
Teeth can get worn down from erosion, attrition and abrasion. These are non-bacterial way of losses your tooth structure.
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Your teeth can wear down from external mechanical processes or forces that impact your teeth. The most common reasons include:
- Over rigorous tooth brushing and scrubbing
- Misuse of toothpaste
- Oral jewellery
- Abrasive foods
Tooth wear by erosion causes the tooth enamel to dissolve from the attack by acids.
If your teeth have been impacted by tooth erosion they may appear:
- Sensitive
- Glazed
- Shorter and smooth
- To have concave craters on the chewing surfaces
- Yellow in colour due to the thinning enamel
Erosion is caused by:
- Intrinsic factors - stomach acids from regurgitation, heart burn and acid reflux, gourd, morning sickness
- Extrinsic factors – consumption of alcohol, fruit juices, soft drinks, and certain foods such as apples, oranges, pickles, grapefruit to name a few.
Attrition is the loss of tooth structure from tooth to tooth contact such as grinding of teeth.
Placing white coloured fillings on the teeth that have been worn down and discoloured will help reduce sensitivity and also build up the tooth.
The placement of tooth coloured filling will improve the appearance both in shape and colour without removing excess tooth structure.
The filling is colour matched to your teeth and sculpted to bring it back to its original form. You can choose to have this on one tooth or many, depending on the level of erosion, the look you want and of course your budget.
To find out more about treating your worn teeth, call our friendly staff at Woodville & Seaton Dental Clinic on (08) 8268 5422 or request an appointment online.
