Patients often arrive having noticed it slowly: teeth that look shorter than they used to, front edges that have gone thin and slightly see-through, or a bite that simply feels different. Why are my teeth wearing down is one of the questions I am asked most by people in their forties and fifties, and the reassuring part of the answer is that wear almost always has a cause, and causes can be dealt with.
On this page
- What tooth wear actually looks like
- Cause one: grinding and clenching
- Cause two: acid erosion
- The other causes worth knowing about
- Why tooth wear matters beyond appearance
- What can be done about it
- The short answer
What tooth wear actually looks like
Wear creeps up so gradually that most people miss the early stages entirely. The signs I look for include:
- Front teeth that have become shorter, with flattened rather than gently curved edges
- Thin, translucent tips on the front teeth, where the enamel has worn almost through
- Flattened, shiny patches on the biting surfaces of back teeth
- Small chips appearing along the edges
- Increasing sensitivity to hot, cold or sweet things
- Older photographs showing a noticeably different smile
That last one is often the most persuasive. A photograph from ten years ago can make wear obvious in a way a daily mirror never does.
Cause one: grinding and clenching
This is the most common culprit, and the sneakiest, because it mostly happens while you are asleep. Grinding applies forces far beyond ordinary chewing, and over years it files teeth down like a slow, patient tool.
Most people who grind have no idea they do. The clues tend to be indirect: waking with an aching jaw or a dull headache, teeth that feel tender first thing, a partner who can hear it, or wear spotted at a check-up long before you suspected anything.
Stress and anxiety are the usual drivers, along with sleep patterns and sometimes the way your teeth meet. Since it happens beyond conscious control, the practical answer is protection: a custom night guard takes the wear instead of your enamel, sacrificing itself over the years so your teeth do not have to.
Cause two: acid erosion
Acid softens enamel, and softened enamel wears away far faster. The acid can come from your diet or from your stomach.
Dietary sources are the obvious ones: fizzy drinks, fruit juice, squash, wine, and citrus. What matters more than quantity is frequency. Sipping a bottle of fizzy drink across an afternoon keeps your teeth bathed in acid for hours, and does considerably more damage than drinking the same amount with a meal.
Stomach acid is the less obvious source. Regular heartburn or reflux, particularly at night, brings powerful acid into contact with teeth. If that sounds like you, it is worth mentioning both to me and to your GP, because treating the reflux protects your teeth as well as your comfort.
A few practical habits genuinely help:
- Keep acidic drinks to mealtimes rather than sipping through the day
- Use a straw so the drink bypasses your front teeth
- Rinse with plain water afterwards
- Wait around half an hour before brushing, because brushing acid-softened enamel wears it faster
The other causes worth knowing about
Two more deserve a mention. Over-vigorous brushing, particularly with a hard brush and a scrubbing motion, wears enamel and gums together, usually showing up as notches near the gum line. And an uneven bite concentrates force on particular teeth, so those few wear noticeably faster than their neighbours.
Age plays a part too, of course. Some wear across a lifetime is entirely normal. What is not normal is wear that has clearly accelerated, and that is what a check-up is looking for.
Why tooth wear matters beyond appearance
Shorter teeth age a smile, which is what brings most people in. But there are practical consequences too.
Enamel does not grow back. Once it has gone, the softer dentine beneath is exposed, which is both more sensitive and considerably faster to wear. Left long enough, wear changes how your teeth meet, which can affect your jaw joints and make eventual treatment more complex. Severe wear can also expose a tooth’s nerve, which is a far bigger problem than a short tooth.
The Oral Health Foundation has good general background on enamel and erosion if you would like to read further.
What can be done about it
Two things, in this order.
First, the cause. Rebuilding worn teeth without addressing what wore them down is like repainting a wall with a leaking pipe behind it. If grinding is the driver, a night guard comes first. If acid is the driver, the habits above and, where relevant, a conversation with your GP.
Then, the repair. Worn teeth can be rebuilt, and often more simply than people expect. Bonded tooth-coloured material can restore length and shape to worn front edges in a single visit. Where wear is heavier, white fillings, onlays or crowns rebuild the tooth properly. Our page on tooth restoration explains the full range.
Where wear runs right across the mouth rather than affecting a few teeth, a staged plan works better than piecemeal repairs, and that is worth a separate conversation.
The short answer
Teeth wear down mainly because of grinding, acid, or both together, and the two accelerate each other. Identify the cause, protect against it, and then rebuild what has been lost. Do it in that order and the repairs last; do it the other way round and you will be back.
If you have noticed your teeth getting shorter, or you would simply like an honest opinion on how much wear you have, ring us on 01255 422506. You may also find our posts on choosing between a crown and a filling and how long white fillings last useful background.
This article is general information rather than personal dental advice. Every mouth is different, so please speak to your dentist about your own teeth.