The tooth tissue is the hardest tissue in the human body and we naturally believe it should be resistant to almost any type of assault we present it with. Hence, we may not pay much attention to some habits that may be slowly damaging to the teeth. These damages have very little to do with microorganisms or biological factors, they are purely due to external factors. It presents as:
- Attrition
Wearing off of the tooth structure takes place on the grinding surfaces and edges of the tooth. It occurs normally with aging but may be excessive in cases of:
- tooth grinding habits
- regular intake of very hard food
2. Abrasion
In this case, the tooth tissue is worn off on the outer surface of the tooth towards the gums. It is more common in the premolar region and the gums frequently have also been worn off already. It occurs as a result of:
- poor tooth brushing techniques ( brushing horizontally instead of vertically)
- use of hard/ extra hard tooth brush as opposed to medium textured tooth brush
- use of excessive force when brushing
3. Erosion
This is the washing away of dissolved tooth material. The solvent is acid not produced in the mouth. It occurs over time with repeated assault in cases such as
- constant intake of unripe fruits
- cases of bulimia
- intake of a lot of carbonated drinks
The lesions are smooth and disk like in appearance
All the fore mentioned lesions occur insidiously and over time. When they eventually present, the symptoms include: dentin sensitivity, toothache and fractured tooth with varying degrees of severity.
Regular dental check up is advised to treat such conditions and prevent unwarranted tooth destruction.
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