Tooth Enamel Erosion – The Causes And Solutions

Avoiding the common problem of worn tooth enamel.

As most readers of our blogs will know, the enamel part of the tooth is the hard protective exterior layer. Healthy tooth enamel then is key to avoiding problems like tooth decay and root canal infections which affect the interior part of the tooth. Although tooth enamel is very strong, it can be affected by acids and bacteria that then enter into the soft part of the tooth. It can also be broken due to accidents such as a fall or blow to the mouth. For today’s blog though, we are going to look at how it can also be gradually worn away, leaving our Canterbury patients with less well protected teeth, and ones that may also cause some discomfort.

Let us start by looking at how you might notice that the erosion process is happening.

Signs and symptoms of enamel erosion

One of the more noticeable symptoms of worn tooth enamel is when you experience discomfort when eating, or drinking hot or cold drinks. This can be quite a sharp and unpleasant sensation that can make you wince in pain, or, it can be a much milder version of the same thing which causes minor irritation. While one is more painful than the other, both sensations indicate that your tooth enamel may be starting to become worn. When this happens, your teeth are also at a greater risk of tooth decay.

Another possible symptom of worn enamel is if you notice that your teeth are starting to look a little yellow. While this can also occur through ageing as the dentin beneath the enamel darkens and shows through the enamel surface of the tooth, it can also mean that the dentin, which is darker than enamel, is showing because the tooth enamel is thinner than it should be. If this happens while you are relatively young, this could be the case and you should arrange a consultation with a dentist at Bradley and Partners Dental & Implant Clinic in Canterbury to have the cause identified.

If your teeth start to show signs of chips or cracks appearing, this could be due to weaker enamel caused by the thinning process and again, professional advice should be sought from one of our team.

Causes and solutions

We will shortly look at solutions that your long-standing Canterbury dentists can offer once the problem becomes significant enough. In the meantime, let us take a look at some of the things that might be causing the problem, and which you can make changes to prevent this from happening.

Acidic drinks – the rise of high sugar and acidic ‘sports’ or ‘energy’ drinks are thought to be a likely cause of the increase in enamel erosion that dentists across the UK have detected in recent years. The acids will wear away the enamel and these drinks are best avoided, or, if you must drink them, it is best to do so using a straw to bypass the teeth as much as possible.

Frequent snacking during the day means that our saliva does not have sufficient time to start to remineralise your teeth. Try to avoid snacking as much as possible.

Some people are guilty of brushing their teeth too hard. Doing this over a period of time is likely to wear down the enamel on our teeth. There is no need to ‘scrub’ your teeth, gentle and regular brushing, preferably using an electric toothbrush, is sufficient.

These are some of the more common causes of worn tooth erosion and taking the appropriate action should help you to avoid the worst of this.

How can we help?

While preventative action is obviously preferable, if you are already suffering from this problem, perhaps after noticing painfully sensitive teeth, we can help.

The most common solution is to replace the damaged enamel with a porcelain tooth veneer. In order to do this, we will need to remove a fine layer of the damaged enamel from the surface of your teeth. New porcelain veneers are then produced at a dental laboratory from impressions that we take of the prepared teeth. On their return to us, these new veneers can then be fitted, using a dental adhesive, to the front of your teeth; finally being trimmed and polished to give them a natural appearance. A simple way of understanding this is to think of false fingernails. It is obviously more complex than this but gives a basic idea.

Dental veneers will help to protect the teeth, restore the colour and are long lasting. They can last for around ten years before they need to be replaced with new ones.  If you have sensitive teeth or are concerned that your tooth enamel may have started to wear down and would like to talk to us about the possibility of having veneers fitted, please call Bradley and Partners Dental & Implant Clinic to arrange a consultation, on 01227 463529.