Tooth wear
Worn-down teeth in Greenwich, CT: a process worth stopping
Wear happens slowly enough that many patients simply blame age. It usually has a specific cause, most often grinding, acid, or both, and it is worth stopping before we rebuild anything.
How urgent is it?
Routine visit
Not urgent, but genuinely progressive. Wear photographed and measured now tells us in a year whether it is still moving.
Opening hours
Mon–Tue 8a–7p · Wed–Thu 8a–5p · Fri 9a–2p
What this usually means
The causes we see most often
01
Grinding and clenching
The most common cause. Flat, matched wear across the back teeth along with thinning front edges is the typical pattern.
02
Acid
Reflux, frequent citrus, sparkling water throughout the day, or sports drinks dissolve enamel chemically. This wear tends to look scooped and glossy rather than flat.
03
An uneven bite
When a few teeth take on the load meant for all of them, those few teeth wear down at several times the normal rate.
What to do right now
Before you get here
- 01
Notice when you catch your jaw clenched. Many people find it happens at a screen more than in bed.
- 02
If you sip acidic drinks throughout the day, try moving them to mealtimes instead. Frequency causes more damage than quantity.
- 03
Avoid brushing right after anything acidic. Give it half an hour, since the softened surface can brush away too easily.
- 04
If you already have a night guard that no longer fits well, bring it with you rather than setting it aside.
What we would do
At the appointment
We photograph and measure the wear so there is a clear baseline, then work out the cause from its shape: flat and matched suggests grinding, scooped suggests acid.
Addressing the cause comes first, whether that is a night guard, an adjustment to the bite, or a conversation about reflux with your physician.
Rebuilding what has been lost is done in stages and tested with provisional restorations you can live with before anything is made permanent. For extensive cases, that means several teeth rebuilt together as one plan; for a few teeth, it is far simpler.
Q & A
What patients ask us about this
Some gradual wear over decades is normal. Teeth that are visibly shorter in your forties is not, and it usually points to an active cause that can be interrupted.
The layer beneath enamel is naturally darker. As enamel thins, that color shows through, which is why whitening alone often disappoints on worn teeth.
Not necessarily. Bonded composite can restore lost height conservatively in the right case. We start from the least treatment that solves the problem, not the most.
Where we are
211 East Putnam Avenue, Suite 2-6, Cos Cob
Minutes from central Greenwich on East Putnam Avenue, with parking at the building.
Patients travel to us from
Describe it in your own words when you call. We will tell you whether it needs us today.