Types, clinical features, Causes prevention & treatment
Non-carious loss of tooth structure is a problem that is often found in senior citizens and is a cause of many complaints. It is not a new entity but has acquired more attention in recent time.
Types of tooth wear
- Abrasion
- Attrition
- Erosion
- Demastication
- Abfraction
Abrasion
It is loss of tooth substance by the friction with a foreign substance. These are smooth and usually C shaped, more wide than deeper.
Clinical Features
These are usually facio-cervical concavities that are more broad than deep and can be associated with an abrasive diet. They are usually found on prominent teeth in the arch (i.e., canines, premolars, and mesio-buccal aspects of first molars). They may affect several teeth in a row with a “band” of abrasive damage. Sometime they may cause hypersensitivity.