Problems we treat
Worn Teeth: Protecting and Rebuilding a Worn Bite
Teeth that have grown short, flat, chipped, or thin usually point to a bite that is wearing itself down, and the treatment depends on how far it has gone. The path runs from protecting what you have with a night guard, to rebuilding individual teeth, to rebuilding the whole bite when the wear is widespread. Dr. Kathia Steel, a board-certified prosthodontist in Preston Center, reads how your teeth meet and treats the cause, not only the worn surfaces.
What's happening when teeth wear down
Teeth wear for a few common reasons, often together. Grinding and clenching, frequently during sleep, grind the biting surfaces against each other and flatten them over years. Acid, from diet or reflux, can soften and thin enamel so it wears faster. And an uneven bite concentrates force on certain teeth, which then wear ahead of the rest. As the teeth shorten, the bite can lose height and the jaw muscles and joint may start to strain. This is a slow process, which is part of why it is easy to miss until a tooth chips or someone points out how short the front teeth have become.
The options, smallest first
The right treatment matches how much wear there is, and doing less is often the wiser first move.
- Protect what you have. If the wear is caught early, a custom night guard worn during sleep cushions the teeth and keeps grinding from taking more enamel. It is the most conservative step and can prevent far more expensive damage later. Night guards and TMJ care.
- Rebuild individual teeth. Where specific teeth are worn or chipped, tooth-colored bonding or, for more substantial loss, veneers or crowns restore their shape and protect what remains. Dental bonding, porcelain veneers, and crowns and bridges.
- Rebuild the bite. When wear spans both arches and the bite itself has collapsed, treating one tooth at a time misses the real problem. Full mouth rehabilitation re-establishes where the bite should sit and rebuilds the teeth up to it, planned as one case. Full mouth rehabilitation.
If grinding comes with jaw pain, headaches, or clicking, the joint and the bite may need treating together. More on TMJ.
Which page to read next
- To protect teeth from grinding before more is lost: TMJ, night guards, and appliances.
- To restore a few worn or chipped teeth: dental bonding, porcelain veneers, or crowns and bridges.
- When the whole bite is worn down: full mouth rehabilitation.
Why a prosthodontist for worn teeth
How the upper and lower teeth meet is the prosthodontist's core subject, which is what a worn bite is really about. Dr. Steel spent a decade restoring the region's most complex reconstruction cases on UT Southwestern's Oral Surgery faculty, and has led this practice since 2012. More about her background.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my teeth are worn down?
Common signs are front teeth that look shorter or flatter than they used to, chipped edges, increased sensitivity, and morning jaw soreness. Dr. Steel can confirm it from the wear pattern on your teeth and how your bite meets.
Can worn teeth be fixed, or is the damage permanent?
Enamel does not grow back, but worn teeth can be rebuilt. Depending on the extent, that ranges from bonding or veneers on individual teeth to rebuilding the whole bite. The first goal is often to stop further wear with a night guard.
Will a night guard alone fix worn teeth?
A night guard protects teeth from further grinding, but it does not restore what has already worn away. When teeth are only mildly worn, protecting them may be all that is needed for now; when they are significantly short or the bite has collapsed, rebuilding is the next step.
Is worn-down teeth the same as needing full mouth rehabilitation?
Not always. Mild or localized wear is handled with much smaller treatments. Full mouth rehabilitation is for when wear is widespread across both arches and the bite itself has to be rebuilt. Dr. Steel will tell you which situation you are in.
Ready to talk it through?
Call (214) 369-9000 or request an appointment. We'll call you within one business day to find the right appointment.
Kathia Steel, D.D.S., M.S., P.A. · 8117 Preston Rd #170, Dallas, TX 75225 (Preston Center) · (214) 369-9000