Why Are My Teeth Wearing Down?
In the course of life, there is always wear and tear of teeth. It is a normal physiological process. Teeth perform one of the most essential functions of our survival: grinding food and beginning the digestive process. Despite the fact that tooth enamel is the hardest tissue in the biological realm, it also wears down due to the enormous stress under which it operates. However, due to our lifestyles, there can often be significantly fast wear of the enamel. If the enamel is completely lost, the dentin (tooth tissue) is exposed. Dentin is a significantly softer tissue than enamel. When the enamel is lost and the dentin is exposed, the rate of tooth wear increases significantly.
Faster wear of the enamel and subsequently of the teeth is mainly due to the following reasons:
* Excessive consumption of sweet and sour drinks (such as cola, energy drinks, fruit juices, etc.) with a high content of acids and sugars. Acids dissolve calcium, which forms the main part of enamel. Sugars are then food for dental plaque bacteria, which produce additional acids and thus accelerate the dissolution of calcium.
* Excessive brushing with a hard toothbrush and abrasive toothpastes, especially in connection with the consumption of sweet and sour drinks.
* Conditions related to repeated vomiting . Most of them are psychologically conditioned pathological eating habits - anorexia and bulimia. Repeated vomiting for several weeks or months can also be accompanied by pregnancy. In these cases, the reason for the loss of dental tissues is stomach acid, which comes into contact with the teeth and dissolves the enamel and dentin. These conditions are mostly associated with poorer oral hygiene and thus greater activity of bacteria, or, on the contrary, an excessive effort to clean the teeth, which again leads to excessive loss of acid-disturbed tissues.
* Non-physiological contacts of the upper and lower teeth. These are mainly so-called parafunctions (bad habits) - teeth grinding (bruxism) and teeth clenching. These contacts are pathological and destructive to the teeth. The total time of tooth contact that occurs during grinding or clenching is significantly longer than the time of tooth contact when performing their natural function of grinding food. Also, the forces acting on the teeth during grinding or clenching are significantly higher than during chewing. Generally, these habits are caused by stress, and can be treated through stress management and also through custom mouthguards that can be worn during sleep.
The destruction and loss of enamel leads not only to the destruction of the teeth, but also to the further development and fixation of parafunctions, damage to the suspension apparatus of the teeth (development of periodontitis), reduction of the bite height, subsequent overloading of the jaw joints, strengthening of the masticatory muscles and the development of other painful conditions in the face and neck area muscles. Due to the loss of enamel, the teeth can become very sensitive to cold and heat, and in the front teeth of the upper jaw, the entire crown of the teeth can be completely lost.