Have you ever been told that you grind your teeth or do you wake up in the morning with an aching jaw?
Most people exhibit some signs of wear to their teeth, whether from tooth grinding, poor bite alignment, acid erosion, or some other oral habit.
Tooth wear can be a major dental problem.
Once tooth wear has progressed through the strong outer enamel to the soft inner dentin of a tooth, the rate of wear accelerates.
Back teeth lose their functioning cusps which aid in chewing, and front teeth get short and start to chip.
Tooth wear often happens so slowly that even though a person has worn away as much as one third to one-half of their front teeth, they may not even be aware of it.
It is sort of like gaining weight ― it usually happens slowly so you have time to get used to it.
Front tooth wear is often uneven and produces a crooked smile line.
Early treatment of wear would include wearing of a night guard to protect the teeth from night time grinding, control of acids (fruit juice, soft drinks and acidic foods) and alignment of the bite through selective bite adjustment or orthodontics and possible minor restoration of worn teeth.
If wear is severe, there are restorative options available, which can restore function and aesthetics.
Early prevention of dental problems is always our first choice.
So even if you do not have symptoms sometimes it is desirable to fix it now and avoid more serious complications in the future.
If you would like to know more about preventive options available to you to help you to achieve your long-term dental goals, please ask one of the dentists or friendly staff members at the Pender Harbour Health Centre.