Mok-dong Dental Clinic_ “Why Are My Teeth Slowly Wearing Down?” [1. Causes of Tooth Wear]

Hello.

We reduce unnecessary worries,

and calmly share only the dental information you really need.

This is Seoul Dia Dental Clinic in Magok-dong.

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These days, if you look at the news or social media,

you see the story that “stress ruins the body” all the time.

Sleep gets shorter, coffee increases,

and before you know it, you start clenching your jaw more often.

Then one day, this moment comes.

Mok-dong Dental Clinic_Checking the wear condition

Looking in the mirror, you suddenly think,

“Wait, were my teeth always this short?”

With one sip of cold water,

“Why is it only sensitive here...?”

You don’t remember hitting them,

and they haven’t broken,

yet your teeth somehow feel a little different.

At times like this, the diagnosis most often given at a dental clinic is

“tooth wear.”

Tooth wear is not a problem that appears all at once.

In busy daily life, it progresses little by little, very quietly.

For that reason, it is harder to notice,

and treatment is more likely to be delayed.

So we prepared this.

Tooth Wear Series, Part 1~

We’ll calmly go over the “reasons”

why teeth slowly wear down.

What is tooth wear?

Mok-dong Dental Clinic_Tooth wear

Tooth wear refers to teeth gradually wearing away

even without cavities or trauma.

Simply put,

it’s not decay, and it’s not a chip or fracture,

but a state where teeth slowly wear down through use.

The problem is that this process

doesn’t hurt and isn’t very noticeable.

So many people easily think,

“Maybe this is just how teeth change over time.”

But teeth are not originally designed

to wear down that easily.

There is always a cause.

5 major causes of tooth wear

1. Unconscious tooth grinding and clenching

Mok-dong Dental Clinic_Bruxism during sleep

This is the most common cause.

• Habitually grinding teeth during sleep

• Habitually clenching the jaw tightly while concentrating

• Habitually biting down hard when stressed

The problem is that most people don’t realize they do it.

With unconscious tooth grinding or clenching,

when the upper and lower teeth repeatedly come into strong contact,

the hardest layer, the enamel, begins to wear down little by little.

In particular, if the molars, canines, or the tips of the front teeth

start to feel flat or shorter,

this is the first cause you should suspect.

2. Habit of eating hard and chewy foods

Mok-dong Dental Clinic_Biting ice

• Biting and chewing ice often

• Frequently eating dried squid or jerky

• Biting nuts with your teeth

• A diet habit of chewing tough meat for a long time

When these habits are repeated, it is like

sanding your teeth every day.

A few times may seem fine, but when years and decades build up,

the tooth surface clearly changes.

3. Bite alignment problems

Mok-dong Dental Clinic_Bite alignment problem

Teeth should normally fit together so that

force is evenly distributed.

But if the teeth are not aligned well,

if their height changed because of past treatment,

or if one side bites more strongly,

certain teeth end up contacting too much.

When that happens, those teeth have to do more work

than the others.

In the end, they wear down faster than the rest.

“Only this one tooth is especially sensitive.”

“It feels like only this area wore down first.”

If that’s the case, you should also check for bite alignment issues.

4. Habit of consuming acidic foods and drinks

Mok-dong Dental Clinic_Acidic foods

Carbonated drinks, coffee, energy drinks,

and acidic foods such as vinegar and lemon

can soften the tooth surface.

In this state,

if you brush your teeth right away,

or if you clench your teeth or apply chewing force,

wear progresses much faster.

In particular, brushing right after coffee,

or chewing gum right after drinking soda,

puts more stress on the teeth than you might think.

5. Incorrect brushing habits

Mok-dong Dental Clinic_Incorrect brushing habits

Some people’s teeth wear down even though they brush very diligently.

Brushing with a toothbrush that is too hard,

scrubbing back and forth with too much force,

and using toothpaste with strong abrasives

makes the teeth effectively get scratched

two or three times a day.

In particular, wear at the gum line

is closely related to this cause.

To summarize,

tooth wear is not necessarily a problem that simply comes with age.

• Tooth grinding and clenching

• Eating habits

• Bite alignment

• Brushing habits

In many cases, it is a change created by

accumulated daily habits.

Seoul Dia Dental Clinic in Magok-dong

At Seoul Dia Dental Clinic in Magok-dong,

we don’t just say, “It’s worn down, so let’s treat it.”

We first check why it wore down and what stage it is at now.

Rather than increasing anxiety first,

we provide exactly the explanation needed now,

and do not recommend treatment that is not yet necessary.

If you looked in the mirror and suddenly thought,

“It looks a little different from before,”

it may be time to check your teeth.

In Part 2,

we will explain the types of tooth wear

in a simpler way.

So far, we have reduced unnecessary worries,

and calmly shared only the dental information you really need.

This was Seoul Dia Dental Clinic near Magok Station.

[ This post was written in accordance with the Medical Services Act for the purpose of providing accurate information about dental surgery and procedures. Because infection and side effects may occur after surgery, you should decide on surgery (or a procedure) after sufficient consultation with a skilled medical professional. ]

[Magok-dong Seoul Dia Dental Clinic Tooth Wear Series]

1. Causes of tooth wear

2. Types of tooth wear

3. Symptoms of tooth wear

4. Problems if tooth wear is left untreated

5. Treatment for tooth wear