Common Causes of Tooth Damage
When we said almost everyone experiences tooth problems, we meant it. According to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 90% of adults age 20 and over have had at least one cavity. That’s a significant decline from previous estimates of 96% from just a few years ago, a figure that probably applies to most of us aged 50 and over, and that’s just one type of tooth damage.
People often experience tooth damage because of:
- Decay
- Wear
- Gum disease
- Trauma
- Decay
- Wear
- Gum disease
- Trauma
These types of tooth damage can combine to cause even more damage.
Tooth Decay
Tooth decay, as we said above, is the most common type of tooth damage. It occurs when oral bacteria consume sugars in our diet and excrete acids. These acids attack the tooth structure, creating small holes in the teeth, what most people call cavities, but dentists sometimes call caries.These holes can trap food and shelter bacteria, so once it starts decay can accelerate.
When decay reaches the living core of the tooth, it can cause an infected or abscessed tooth. This can cause serious, even deadly health problems and lead to tooth loss.
Tooth Wear
You use your teeth every day, and this can cause them to wear down over a lifetime. The amount of wear your teeth experience depends on many factors, including your diet and your bite. Your teeth should not normally contact each other forcefully, but they can if you have an unbalanced or irregular bite. In addition, bite problems can lead to teeth clenching and grinding, which accelerates wear, including chipped and cracked teeth. Temporomandibular joint disorders (called TMJ or TMD) are bite problems often associated with accelerated teeth wear.
Gum Disease
Gum disease attacks your gums, which are supposed to protect your teeth. If you experience receding gums, it can expose your tooth roots, which are more vulnerable to decay. It can also lead to bone loss that can cause your teeth to fall out.
Dental Trauma
Dental trauma due to falls, car accidents, or violence can seriously damage your teeth. Other causes of damage can make your teeth more vulnerable. Decayed or worn teeth are more likely to chip and crack due to trauma. Gum disease can weaken your teeth’s support, making them more likely to get knocked out due to trauma.
Common Causes of Tooth Damage
If your teeth are damaged, it’s important to get them repaired. Restorative dentistry can:
- Alleviate dental discomfort
- Improve the function of your teeth
- Restore the beauty of your smile
- Prevent future damage
- Head off major health problems
- Alleviate dental discomfort
- Improve the function of your teeth
- Restore the beauty of your smile
- Prevent future damage
- Head off major health problems
You should not wait until your teeth hurt to get restorative dentistry. Unfortunately, that’s what drives many people to the dentist. Fortunately, restorative dentistry can eliminate dental pain.
Damaged teeth can make you give up certain foods, but repairing your teeth and bite can help you eat again.
Damaged teeth are often unattractive. They can be discolored and have visible defects. Restorative dentistry beautifies damaged teeth. They will look as good as ever–often better.
Tooth damage can be progressive. Cavities become infected teeth, cracked teeth, and more. Gum disease can lead to knocked-out teeth, and more. Repair your teeth now to protect them in the future.
Damaged teeth are a threat not just to your oral health, they can be linked to overall health problems. Gum disease contributes to heart disease risk, stroke risk, dementia risk, and diabetes. Infected teeth can cause similar effects, but they can also cause acute danger. A tooth infection can spread to your sinuses, brain, and blood, turning deadly.
Restorative Dentistry Procedures
To repair damage to your teeth, the Houston restorative dentists at Stephens & Gatewood Dentistry offer multiple treatment options, including:
- Dental fillings
- Dental crowns
- Root canal therapy
- Dental bridges
- Dental fillings
- Dental crowns
- Root canal therapy
- Dental bridges
- Dentures
- Dental implants
- Full mouth reconstruction
Often, this gives us multiple options to address your tooth damage. That way, you can find the right restorative dentistry procedure for you, including one that fits your budget. We also offer multiple financing options to help you get the dentistry you need now, rather than risking worsening damage later.
Dental Fillings
Dental fillings treat tooth decay. They fill the holes to keep food and bacteria out, preventing future damage. Our Houston dentists offer composite and ceramic fillings. We can make ceramic fillings with CEREC so you get them the same day. No need for a second visit.
Dental Crowns
Dental crowns can repair large cavities, chipped teeth, and cracked teeth. They completely cover the visible part of your teeth, strengthening and protecting them. We offer traditional crowns as well as CEREC same-day crowns–made while you wait so there’s no need for a second visit.
How Can We Help You?
How Can We
Help You?
Root Canal Therapy
Root canal therapy treats infected teeth. Your Houston dentist will remove the part of the tooth that’s infected and/or vulnerable to infection and replace it with an inert material–immune to infection, but capable of supporting the tooth. Then we’ll repair the tooth with a filling or dental crown.
Dental Bridge
A dental bridge uses your natural teeth to support a replacement tooth. These are effective, but only in certain situations. We can sometimes make these with CEREC.
Dentures
Dentures are removable tooth replacements. They don’t work as well as other tooth replacements, but they are less expensive.
Full Mouth Reconstruction
If you have serious damage to multiple teeth, it sometimes makes sense to design a reconstruction plan for your whole mouth at once. We often do this in relation to TMJ treatment, since bite problems can lead to widespread tooth damage.
Get Reconstructive Dentistry in Houston
If you have damaged teeth, let the restorative dentists at Stephens & Gatewood Dentistry help. Our dentists have almost 100 years of combined experience, and when necessary they can work together to solve the most difficult dental problems. Don’t take our word for it, though: check out our reviews and testimonials. Still not convinced? See for yourself the results we’ve achieved for other patients in our before and after gallery.
If you’re ready to have a healthy, functional smile again, please call (281) 320-2000 or use our online form today to request an appointment at one of our two locations, serving the Houston area from Spring, TX.
