San Diego Wear and Longevity Issues, Wear and Longevity Issues Dental Doctor, Dentist and Surgeon

As we live longer, fuller lives, often well into our 80's and 90's , our teeth must also last longer.
Years ago, people didn't live much past 60 or 65 and if they did live to be older, they would often wear dentures or partials. Now almost all live to around 80. We have

done a fairly good job as dental professionals educating people to be careful of keeping their gums healthy, yet there is a 3rd part of the strategy to keeping your teeth forever. As we sleep, many of us squeeze, clench, and grind our teeth. Just a little each night can wear the tissues. The enamel can wear down, changing the bite. Many times, people awake with sore muscles, a clue their mouths are actually grinding at night. But, many of us are what I call stealth grinders. That means there are no symptoms, such as jaw pain, headache, or sore muscles in the morning. These people also make no sounds while grinding at night.

Either way, if we find evidence of premature wear on your teeth we will let you know. We have technologies such as oral photos that can show you the extent of the wear.

Depending on the damage the wear has already caused, we will discuss what we can do together to manage, correct, or lessen the effects of wear.

There are many reasons why people wear down their teeth, from stress to bite alignment problems, and even issues with how we sleep. Prevention comes in the form of mouth guards, which gently hold your teeth in position. Restorative procedures may also be done to bring back your once vibrant smile.


Before: Typical adult wear and chipping we often see on front teeth	After: Wear has been corrected with laser rejuvenation

Unfortunate wear on a 17 year old male with no enamel left.	Another example of generalized wear and a crack in the metal filling. Wear causes shifting of bite forces.

Loss of enamel and wear around the back tooth.	Divots and holes in the enamel from night grinding of a 16 year old.

A Forced Management Guard (Night Guard) - which prevents destructive wear on the teeth.

More than 8% of the American population grind (bruxism), squeeze, clench, or rub their teeth together during sleep or while under stress or habit during the daytime.

Results of sleep or daytime grinding can be tooth wear, jaw joint problems, morning headache, poor sleep, and daytime sleepiness. Few people ever seek treatment for this, yet it is an important strategy in keeping your teeth healthy for a lifetime.

Sleep Bruxism Questionnaire

Do you clench your teeth strongly while sleeping?
Does your bed partner complain that you grind your teeth while sleeping?
Do you feel pain/stiffness/weariness in your jaw joint when you wake up?
Do you have difficulty opening your mouth when you wake up?
Do you hear a “click” sound when opening your mouth for the first time in the morning?
Did you notice or have you been told that your teeth are showing signs of wear?

Diagnosis of sleep grinding is best achieved by conducting on overnight sleep study that includes continuous monitoring of the jaw muscles that show repeated bursts of activity (muscle contractions) that are not present in people who don't grind.

The Bite Strip is a low cost, single use assessment and follow-up technology tool for sleep grinders. The device is used to determine both the existence and severity of night wear, for evaluating the long and short-term effectiveness of a treatment (such as a dental night wear guard), and for titrating drug dosages.

Available in our office and mush less expensive than a sleep study the Bite Strip is worn comfortably under your jaw on one side of your face for one night. The micro-sensors are then read by the doctor the next morning to determine the outcome and level of night grinding activity you have. Then the appropriate treatment can be scientifically determined and discussed with you. Much more successful treatment of wear issues are now available with this inexpensive new technology.

We are specialized in San Diego for veneers, white fillings, metal free dentistry, invisalign, laser dentistry, painless treatment, cleaning, laser gum cleaning, laser fillings, no shot dentistry, zoom, tooth whitening, smile makeover, smile enhancement, white teeth, no shot dentistry, no shot fillings, metal free crowns, instant orthodontics, clear braces, sleep dentistry, stop snoring and sleep apnea.