Dental Erosions

Dental erosion describes where tooth enamel starts to wear away. This enamel forms a sort of thin but strong protective layer of your teeth that make daily tasks such as chewing, biting and crushing painless. It also helps to insulate your teeth against temperatures extremes and potentially painful chemicals. Thus the erosion of enamel can result in the exposure of the inner dentin which causes great pain and sensitivity.

The most common cause of dental erosion is due to poor dietary habits, such as smoking and eating and drinking food and beverages that are high in sugar and starches. Some examples are tea, coffee, carbonated drinks, fruit juices and so on. These contain acids (phosphoric and citric) that attack the tooth enamel and cause it to wear away. A number of other things can cause dental erosions, such as dry mouth, acid reflux disease, medications, para-functional habits such as grinding and bruxism, and so on.

It is therefore, recommended that you visit your dentist regularly for a general checkup as well as cleaning and polishing to remove surface stains and to ensure that your teeth remain healthy.

When to seek expert advise

Although dental erosions do not always have to be treated, it is possible that the problem may get worse. Therefore it is always important to know your options and protect your enamel. With regular check-ups your dentist at the Teeth and Skin​ Service Line at The Aga Khan University Hospital, will be able to spot the early signs of dental erosion and give you advice about how to prevent it from progressing to a more serious problem. However, if you notice any of the symptoms of dental erosion, such as discoloration or even tooth decay, visit your dentist so that they may examine and advise you about proper treatment options.​

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