Teeth, like any other part of the human body, suffer from the dreaded ageing process, the most visible signs of which are as follows:
- Wear and tear, because from the moment the tooth appears in the mouth, it is exposed to various physical and chemical changes. Its technical name is 'attrition', and it depends on multiple factors such as the type of enamel, the occlusion (way of biting), the oral muscular strength, the type of food ingested, or dental absences.
- It mainly and primarily affects the enamel, although if it reaches the dentine, as the latter is softer, it will wear faster. In these cases, tooth sensitivity usually appears.
- The incisors are the first to undergo attrition, followed by the cusps of the molars and premolars, and when this occurs the height of the tooth is reduced.
- Colour changesThere are several theories, and it is debatable whether the darkening of the tooth with age is due to a change in the colour of the dentine due to ageing of its collagen fibres, which manifests itself through the enamel, or whether the enamel itself becomes more translucent with age or even slightly darker. What is clear is that teeth become more yellow with age.
- Gingival recessionis found when the gum "shrinks" exposing part of the tooth that was previously covered. This increases significantly after the fifth decade of life, and can occur in one tooth, several or generalise to all teeth.
- This is something to consider if you have porcelain caps/crowns, restorations or veneers as this physiological recession will expose the root of the tooth and cause an aesthetic problem.
- As well as attriction there is also the pathological recession caused by gingival disease (periodontitis) explained in other posts.
- Crowding especially of the lower incisors. This type of crowding is called tertiary crowding and occurs throughout adulthood due to causes such as the accommodation of the occlusion in the final stage of jaw growth and, to a lesser degree, pressure from the masseter muscles and the tongue.
In any case, it is important to know that there are professionals trained to solve all these problems and avoid the signs of ageing in our teeth. You can contact the Vélez&Lozano clinic in Murcia to find out first hand the solution to our aesthetic requirements.