What’s dental erosion?

Erosion is the lack of tooth enamel attributable to acid assault. Enamel is the laborious, protecting coating of the tooth, which protects the delicate dentine beneath. When the enamel is worn away, the dentine beneath is uncovered, which can result in ache and sensitivity.

How do I do know I’ve dental erosion?

Erosion normally reveals up as hollows within the tooth and a common carrying away of the tooth floor and biting edges. This could expose the dentine beneath, which is a darker, yellower color than the enamel. As a result of the dentine is delicate, your tooth can be extra delicate to warmth and chilly, or acidic meals and drinks.

What causes dental erosion?

Each time you eat or drink something acidic, the enamel in your tooth turns into softer for a short time, and loses a few of its mineral content material. Your saliva will slowly cancel out this acidity in your mouth and get it again to its pure stability. Nonetheless, if this acid assault occurs too typically, your mouth doesn’t have an opportunity to restore itself and tiny bits of enamel may be brushed away. Over time, you begin to lose the floor of your tooth.

Are there any medical issues which may trigger dental erosion?

Bulimia is a situation the place sufferers make themselves sick in order that they shed weight. As a result of there are excessive ranges of acid within the vomit, this may trigger harm to tooth enamel.

Acids produced by the abdomen can come up into the mouth (that is known as gastro-oesophageal reflux). Folks affected by hiatus hernia or oesophageal issues, or who drink an excessive amount of alcohol, may additionally discover they undergo from dental erosion as a consequence of vomiting.

Can my food regimen assist stop dental erosion?

Acidic meals and drinks may cause erosion. Acidity is measured by its ‘pH worth’, and something that has a pH worth decrease than 5.5 is extra acidic and might hurt your tooth.

Fizzy drinks, sodas, pops and carbonated drinks may cause erosion. It is very important do not forget that even the ‘food regimen’ manufacturers are nonetheless dangerous. Even flavoured fizzy waters can have an impact if drunk in giant quantities, as they include weak acids which may hurt your tooth.

Acidic meals and drinks reminiscent of fruit and fruit juices – significantly citrus ones together with lemon and orange – include pure acids which may be dangerous to your tooth, particularly in case you have plenty of them typically.

‘Alcopops’, ‘coolers’ and ‘designer drinks’ that include acidic fruits and are fizzy may cause erosion too.

Plain, nonetheless water is the very best drink for tooth. Milk can be good as a result of it helps to cancel out the acids in your mouth.

Are sports activities drinks secure?

Many sports activities drinks include elements that may trigger dental erosion in addition to decay. Nonetheless, it will be important for athletes to keep away from dehydration as a result of this may result in a dry mouth and dangerous breath.

What can I do to forestall dental erosion?

There are a selection of issues you are able to do:

• Have acidic meals and drinks, and fizzy drinks, sodas and pops, simply at mealtimes. This may scale back the variety of acid assaults in your tooth.

• Drink shortly, with out holding the drink in your mouth or ‘swishing’ it round your mouth. Or use a straw to assist drinks go to the again of your mouth and keep away from lengthy contact along with your tooth.

• End a meal with cheese or milk as it will assist cancel out the acid.

• Chew sugar-free gum after consuming. This may assist produce extra saliva to assist cancel out the acids which kind in your mouth after consuming.

• Look forward to at the least one hour after consuming or consuming something acidic earlier than brushing your tooth. This offers your tooth time to construct up their mineral content material once more.

• Brush your tooth very last thing at evening and at the least one different time in the course of the day, with fluoride toothpaste. Use a small-headed brush with medium to mushy bristles.

• Kids as much as three years outdated ought to use a toothpaste with a fluoride stage of at the least 1000ppm (components per million). Three-year-olds to adults ought to use a toothpaste that incorporates 1350ppm to 1500ppm. 

• Spit out after brushing and don’t rinse with water, in order that the fluoride stays in your tooth longer.

Ought to I take advantage of another particular merchandise?

In addition to utilizing a fluoride toothpaste, your dental group could recommend you utilize a fluoride-containing mouthwash and have a fluoride varnish utilized at the least each six months. They might additionally prescribe a toothpaste with extra fluoride in it.

How can it’s handled?

Dental erosion doesn’t at all times should be handled. With common check-ups and recommendation your dental group can stop the issue getting any worse and the erosion going any additional. If a tooth does want therapy, it is very important defend the enamel and the dentine beneath to forestall sensitivity.

Often, merely bonding a filling onto the tooth can be sufficient to restore it. Nonetheless, in additional extreme circumstances the dentist might have to suit a veneer.

How a lot will the therapy price?

Prices will range, relying on the kind of therapy you want.

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References

An investigation into the consequences of sport complement drinks on dental well being. R Kidner, Dental Well being Vol 42 No 2 of 6 March.

Dental erosion – altering prevalence? A overview of British nationwide kids’s surveys. J Nunn and others, Worldwide Journal of Paediatric Dentistry, Quantity 13, Challenge 2, Web page 98, March 2003.

Dental Erosion and Acid Reflux Illness. Schroeder and others, Annals of Inner Drugs, 1 June 1995; 122: pages 809-815.

Picture of dental erosion – By Финитор – https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28614780