Tooth enamel | Teeth Abrasion After 30: Normal or Pathology

The wear of tooth enamel is a normal process that occurs when chewing food. In a normal bite, the outer surface wears down more in the front lower teeth, and the inner – in the upper teeth. On chewing surfaces, abrasion changes the contact from a point one to planar.

Dental abrasion types

The teeth can wear down pathologically or physiologically. Physiological wear of tooth enamel is observed until the age of 30. That’s about 30 microns per year, or 0.3mm over 10 years. Pathological wear of tooth enamel is caused by mechanical, chemical or biophysical effects. Dental abrasion is more common in people over 30.

Tooth enamel is destroyed in about 66% of patients. 11% of patients suffer from enamel and dentin erosion, weak tooth enamel accompanied by complications is observed in 1%. Among the remaining 22% are those with no disease. The statistics is thought-provoking and encourages to take preventive measures.

Why tooth enamel destroys over the years

Pathological tooth wear is affected by such factors as:

Diet, including solid food, fruits and mineral water.
Hazardous work (glassblowers, specialists in the chemical industry, founders).
Hereditary factors.
Bad habits, when tooth enamel defects appear due to carelessness.
Tooth tissue condition (tooth enamel erosion, wedge-shaped flows).
Patients’ body type.
Cooking technology.
Endocrine chronic diseases.
Intake of drugs adversely affecting tooth enamel.
Nervous system disorders, including stress, neuroses.

Sometimes tooth enamel destroys near the gum line after tooth loss due to overload. Abutment teeth overloaded by dentures wear down faster if uncovered with crowns. The disease can be caused by hard manual labor or stress, unconscious jaw clenching.

If damaged tooth enamel is not treated, it may result in temporomandibular joint disorders, following by pain and hearing loss. Also the enamel becomes sensitive to hot and cold temperatures, and later to mechanical and chemical irritants.

Tooth enamel treatment and restoration

The procedure depends on the disease stage and severity. This is the responsibility of therapeutic and orthopedic dentistry.

If it is caused by malocclusion, then dental plates, braces or mouth guards are recommended to wear at night or around the clock, depending on the patient’s age.

The dentition has to be restored if the enamel in the front or chewing teeth has worn off. Usually composite materials are used. They deal with the problem very well. When the teeth enamel decays, metal-free ceramics or e-max ceramics show good results. In this case, there will be minimal tooth facing. The dentist restores old tissues, increases the height of the tooth. The tooth enamel is strengthened, the tooth shape and volume are restored. Phonetic and chewing functions of the patient are improved.

A wedge-shaped defect is a pathology caused by a V-shaped lesion in some areas of the hard dental tissues at roots (in the cervical margin). Most often, incisors, canines and premolar teeth tend to decay. The problem often begins upon exposure of the neck of the tooth on the labial or buccal surfaces. It’s painless. The tooth crown may be chipped due to the depth of the defect. Dentists advise remineralization at the initial stage, and later – fillings or veneers.

Contact Denta Vita dentists, we will help you solve your problems. Trust us to do dental prosthetics for you. The sooner you contact us, the easier, cheaper and faster your smile will be saved.