preparing for unpredictable dental injuries

Posted on: 16 September 2016

Stress, anxiety, and sleeping disorders are just a few of the reasons that people may grind their teeth at night. Grinding teeth puts a lot of pressure on the mouth and can result in worn down or damaged teeth. If the grinding continues over several weeks, the changes in your mouth can become visible and obvious. Along with fitting you for a mouth guard to help prevent grinding in the future, a cosmetic dentist can perform multiple procedures to help restore your smile and get it back to the place that it once was. The procedures that you choose to go with will depend on the type of grinding and damage that has occurred in your mouth. Learning about each one can help you make the best decision for your smile.

Minimally-Invasive Veneers

If you're able to recognize and treat your teeth grinding early on, then you have the chance to use minimally invasive veneers for the repair process. A veneer is a small shell that is placed over your tooth. It helps add strength to and restore the shape of the tooth. A traditional veneer would require the scraping or removal of part of the tooth. The minimally-invasive veneer process eliminates this element and provides your mouth with a protective shell and whole new smile. The veneer color and formation can be made to match other teeth in your mouth so that the whole process flows naturally with your smile.

Tooth Reshaping

As you grind your teeth, the shape of a tooth may drastically change. Depending on the angle and direction that you grind in, some teeth may come to a sharp point in your mouth. If this is the case, then you can go to a cosmetic dentist for a procedure known as tooth reshaping. During this process, the teeth will be ground down and properly shaped to form evenly in your mouth. This type of procedure can be especially helpful if the tooth changes are impacting your eating and talking habits. The tooth reshaping process can typically be done during a single appointment, but it may require anesthesia depending on the type of reshaping that needs to be completed.

Tooth Bonding

In some cases, heavy grinding may result in chipping of the teeth. To help restore your teeth to their original shape and look, you can go to a cosmetic dentist for tooth bonding. The bonding process involves a resin that is attached to your original tooth. This allows you to correct your smile without removing teeth or completely changing the way that your teeth naturally look. The bonding resin will harden on the tooth and help add strength to it. When doing a bonding procedure, a dentist can use x-rays from the past to accurately match your tooth shape and ensure that it blends in nicely with your current smile. This process can be completed to multiple teeth that have been chipped due to grinding.

Dental Crowns

When grinding is severe, sometimes the dental damage is beyond simple and basic repairs. If this is the case for your teeth, then one of the best options to consider is a dental crown. Dental crowns are placed over the whole tooth, adding protection, strength, and the ability to use your teeth for normal functions like eating. Dental crowns can blend naturally in your mouth when traditional teeth colors are used for the designs. Crowns can be placed on any tooth, but they are ideal for back teeth that get ground down while sleeping. Adding the crowns to the back teeth can make it easier to chew tougher food, like meat.

Contact a cosmetic dentist like Samuel D Knight, DDS for more information on these different procedures. You can make a consultation appointment to get your mouth evaluated and set up future appointments.