Did you think tooth notching was fine because it doesn’t hurt?
Many people don’t feel much pain in everyday life and may have only slight sensitivity,
but they often brush it off as nothing serious,
then discover the problem after visiting the dentist and choose treatment.


BEFORE / AFTER
Especially from the 40s onward, across all age groups,
cases where there is a problem even though the pain is not severe
are often cases of tooth notching.


BEFORE / AFTER
In severe cases, when patients visit after
having cold food or drinks,
they often come in with symptoms such as
sharp, tingling, or sensitive teeth.
The cause is tooth notching = cervical abrasion.
Since tooth notching is not something like a tooth breaking
or a piece of the tooth suddenly falling off,
it can be easy to dismiss.

Of course, rather than saying the current situation itself is severe,
it is more accurate to say that if left as it is, it will become severe.
From the outside, it may just look like the teeth
have worn down a little from long-term use,
but if this gradually continues to wear away,
the problem can become bigger.

Tooth notching often starts near the root
of the tooth,
and this is called cervical abrasion.
As the tooth becomes more exposed like this,
even small stimuli can cause sensitivity or pain,
and in severe cases, the root may be exposed,
making extraction followed by an implant necessary.

Because the root surface of the tooth is worn away,
there is also a possibility that the tooth may break suddenly.
What causes tooth notching?
Tooth notching can happen because you brush too hard,
so the root area of the tooth is subjected to the strongest force.

If the bite is unbalanced,
the root area of the tooth may be under constant pressure.

If force keeps being applied, the root area of the tooth can wear down little by little,
as if it were breaking off bit by bit.
Treatment for tooth notching: resin, GI
There are broadly two ways to treat tooth notching.

GI is often looked into because it is usually a covered material,
but in dental clinics, resin is often recommended.

The reason is strength and color.
GI = glass ionomer differs from resin in tooth color
and is also relatively weaker in strength.

Using resin is recommended because it is stronger and
has a much lower chance of coming off the tooth.

It is also aesthetically similar to the natural tooth color,
so satisfaction after treatment tends to be higher.
Although tooth notching is visible to the eye,
the pain is relatively less noticeable early on compared with other dental pain,
so people sometimes miss the right time for treatment.
If tooth notching is treated early, the treatment cost
can also be much lower.

Especially with teeth, since they are not a part of the body that can recover after damage,
early treatment is the way to prevent secondary and tertiary treatment.


BEFORE / AFTER
Since crying over spilled milk is pointless,
for dental problems, if you discover them early,
I strongly recommend visiting the dentist right away and getting treatment.
Song Hee teacher’s Wednesday post
Things to know in advance about implant placement failure
