Toronto Dental Rehabilitation
Are you concerned that your teeth are wearing down, and becoming sensitive, well you may be suffering from tooth wear from attrition or erosion.
Attrition is defined as tooth wear that develops from tooth to tooth contact, usually caused by grinding your teeth. Studies indicate that about 20% of people grind their teeth during the daytime and about 10% grind their teeth at night.
Erosion is tooth wear caused by acids. The source of the acid can be extrinsic like carbonated beverages, citrus fruits or energy drinks. The acid can also originate from the stomach with Gastric Reflux and Bulimia being the usual reasons for stomach acid to arrive in the mouth.
The main issue if you feel you suffer from any form of tooth wear is protection and prevention. If your tooth wear has been diagnosed at an early stage you can concentrate on preventing further tooth wear with diet modification, protective dental appliances and some limited dental bonding to restore the small areas of attrition or erosion.
If your tooth wear has progressed to the point that your protective enamel has been worn away and you have exposed your inner dentin you will likely need a more comprehensive solution. As you may know the protective dental enamel is the hardest substance in the body but the dentin is very soft and will wear at a much more accelerated rate once it has been exposed.
Another problem with tooth wear is that the bite will often change as your teeth wear. This can lead to an unstable bite, muscle and TMJ pain. You may even feel that you don’t have a solid position to bite your teeth into or like you have more than one bite.
Your teeth can also move and spaces can open up between your teeth or you can experience crowding.
If you suffer from any of these conditions we have a solution for you! There are many options that modern dentistry can provide to help you with your dental problems and I feel that the key to a successful outcome is to create a treatment plan that is completely customized to your unique situation.