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If your teeth look shorter, flatter, or more worn than they used to, grinding, acid erosion, or a combination of factors may be causing you to lose tooth structure. Once enamel has worn away, it does not grow back, but worn-down teeth can often be protected and rebuilt with the right treatment.
What Causes Teeth to Wear Down?
Some tooth wear occurs gradually over a lifetime, but noticeable or excessive wear usually has an underlying cause. Identifying that cause is important because restoring the teeth without controlling ongoing wear can put the new restorations at risk.
Common causes include:
- Grinding and clenching: Repeated tooth-to-tooth contact can flatten chewing surfaces, shorten teeth, and contribute to chips or cracks.
- Acid erosion: Stomach acid from reflux or frequent exposure to acidic foods and drinks can gradually dissolve enamel.
- Bite-related forces: The way your teeth come together can place excessive pressure on certain teeth, causing some areas to wear faster than others.
- Several factors at once: Acid-softened enamel may wear more quickly when combined with grinding or other mechanical forces.
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea: OSA can cause bruxism that will cause teeth to wear down over time.
Signs of Worn Teeth
You may first notice tooth wear because your teeth look different than they used to, or because they feel more sensitive. As wear progresses, it can also change the shape, height, and function of your teeth.
Signs of worn teeth can include:
- Flattened or shortened teeth
- Smooth or polished-looking surfaces
- Rounded tooth edges
- Small chips or cracks
- Yellowing as enamel becomes thinner and dentin shows through
- Increased sensitivity to hot, cold, sweet, or acidic foods
- Depressions or cupping in the chewing surfaces
- Changes in the way the teeth fit together
- Older fillings that appear raised above the surrounding tooth
How to Fix Worn-Down Teeth
Worn-down teeth can often be rebuilt to restore their shape, strength, and function. The right treatment depends on how much tooth structure has been lost and whether the wear affects a few teeth or your entire bite.
Dental Bonding
Dental bonding uses tooth-colored composite resin to rebuild selected areas of a tooth. Bonding may be an option for mild to moderate wear, particularly when the edges of front teeth have become shortened, uneven, or chipped.
Because composite can be added directly to the tooth, bonding may allow us to restore shape while preserving much of the remaining natural tooth structure. Its suitability depends on the amount of wear and the forces placed on the restored teeth.
Veneers
Dental veneers may be considered when wear affects the visible surfaces or edges of front teeth and there is enough healthy tooth structure to support them.
Veneers can restore tooth shape, proportions, and appearance, but they are not appropriate for every worn tooth. Significant grinding, extensive structural loss, or problems with the bite may require a different restorative approach.
Dental Crowns
Dental crowns may be used when a tooth has lost substantial structure and needs greater coverage and protection. A crown covers the prepared tooth and can restore its shape, height, and chewing surface.
Crowns may be appropriate for individual severely worn teeth, but restoring several worn teeth requires careful planning so the restorations work together within the bite.
Full-Mouth Rehabilitation
Severe tooth wear can affect many teeth at once and alter how the upper and lower teeth come together. In these cases, simply repairing one or two teeth may not correct the larger problem.
Full-mouth dental rehabilitation combines restorative treatments based on the condition of each tooth and the overall bite. Treatment may involve a combination of bonded restorations, crowns, veneers, or other appropriate restorations to rebuild lost tooth structure and restore function.
Protecting Your Teeth From Further Wear
A restoration replaces tooth structure that has already been lost, but it does not automatically stop the process that caused the wear. If grinding or clenching contributes to the damage, we may recommend a custom oral appliance to protect the teeth and restorations from continued forces.
If acid erosion is involved, reducing the source of acid exposure is important before or alongside restorative treatment. For example, frequent reflux may require evaluation by your physician or gastroenterologist. Dietary acid exposure may require changes in how often and how long the teeth come into contact with acidic foods or drinks.
FAQs
Can worn teeth affect how you chew?
Yes. As teeth become shorter or their chewing surfaces flatten, they may not come together as effectively as they once did. More advanced tooth wear can change your bite and make it harder to chew certain foods comfortably.
Can you rebuild the height of worn-down teeth?
Yes. Depending on how much tooth structure has been lost, bonding, crowns, veneers, or other restorations can be used to rebuild worn teeth. When many teeth have lost height, treatment requires careful planning to restore the bite as well as the individual teeth.
Will worn teeth keep getting worse?
They can if the cause of the wear continues. Grinding, clenching, acid exposure, or a combination of factors can lead to continued loss of tooth structure. Identifying and addressing the cause can help protect the remaining teeth and any restorations used to rebuild them.
Protect and Restore Worn Teeth
At Morris Dental Solutions we provide cosmetic and restorative care for worn and damaged teeth. We can determine what is causing the wear, assess how much tooth structure has been lost, and develop a treatment plan to protect or rebuild the affected teeth.
To schedule an appointment at our dental office in Buffalo Grove, IL, call (847) 215-1511 or visit us at 195 N Arlington Heights Rd Ste 160, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089.
