Hello, Dr Harry Marget here from the East Bentleigh Dental Group.

The most common problem that we see in the surgery every day is patients with teeth that are broken, damaged or ground down. Many people question as to how and why this occurs.

Broken or Damaged Teeth

Many situations can cause broken teeth – anything from accidents to dental decay to accidental chewing on hard items but also they can be caused by old amalgam fillings. Because of the nature of dental amalgam, after many, many years it begins to expand inside the tooth and, while it’s an unfortunate side-effect of a very useful material and probably the only one that was around many years ago, it does cause problems when the tooth finally fractures.

Here at East Bentleigh Dental Group our dentists have not been using dental amalgam for more than 35 years. We have preferred to use dental composite resin or other materials such as porcelain or gold.

Teeth grinding is a common issue.

Bruxism and Teeth Grinding

Teeth that have been ground down can be caused by bruxism or grinding and, while the two sound similar, there is an essential difference. Bruxism is a repetitive jaw-muscle activity caused by various issues such as psychological or emotional stresses. People with bruxism will automatically flex their teeth together causing damage. This may occur while they are asleep or awake.
Grinding of teeth can simply be caused by inappropriate fitting of the bite. Sometimes postural problems or missing teeth may also lead to grinding. All of these situations lead to further damage and further expense to the patient.

Cosmetic Dentistry can Repair Damage

In order to overcome these issues, your Bentleigh dentist needs to conduct a complete and thorough diagnosis to figure out the essential cause. Here at East Bentleigh Dental Group we have many cosmetic dentistry solutions for these problems including:

• Dental crowns – typically used to cover a heavily filled, broken or chipped tooth
• Porcelain veneers – are bonded to the front of teeth to mask chips
• Bonding – a less expensive alternative to crowns and porcelain veneers, it involves composite resin being moulded and shaped to cover the tooth

Are you Grinding?

For more information, contact us here at the East Bentleigh Dental Group. Book a consultation to find out whether or not you are grinding, what damage you are doing, and the available cosmetic dentistry solutions. Phone (03) 9575 1100 or contact us online.