There are three major threats that lead to wearing down or injuring teeth: chewing, brushing, and grinding, along with accidental injuries. Today, Woodlands dentist Dr. Robert Dernick, discusses how you can avoid the daily wear your teeth encounter.
Accidental Injury
Biting down on a hard surface is how people normally imagine they’ll chip a tooth, or think they’ll chip a tooth. The reality is that chipping or breaking a tooth in this manner is actually quite uncommon. It is more likely that chipped teeth arise from those with root canals and fillings if you bite down on something hard.
Additionally, it is more likely that a chipped and/or broken teeth are a result of playing sports. Studies have found that wrestling, boxing, basketball, and karate are the biggest culprits of tooth injuries. If you play sports, be sure to protect your teeth by utilizing a mouthguard.
Unconscious Grinding: Bruxism
If you find yourself unconsciously grinding your teeth when you’re not chewing food, then you might be suffering from bruxism, and endangering the surface of your teeth. Not only does teeth grinding wear down the pointed shape of molars, but also create micro cracks on the enamel surface, making you more susceptible to tooth decay. As any with bruxism knows, grinding your teeth also creates headaches, muscle pain, and jaw injury.
Your Woodlands dentist, Dr. Robert Dernick, can usually spot the tell-tale signs of bruxism during an exam. You may not even know you suffer from teeth grinding until you go to your dental check-up. That’s another reason why it is important to see your oral health professionals twice a year.
Enamel Erosion and Acids
Teeth are built tough, but when the level of acid becomes imbalance in your mouth, the structural strength of teeth become compromised and susceptible to decay. Acidic foods and beverages and stomach acids (brought into the mouth by bulimia, morning sickness, or GERD) contribute to continued erosion of enamel.
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