You weren’t in a car accident recently and you haven’t fallen down but you have noticed that your teeth have chipped. Why? What causes your teeth to chip if a traumatic event was not the reason?
There are four major reasons why teeth chip and you may not even realize your teeth are vulnerable until after they have chipped.
1. Biting, Chewing, and Eating Hard Foods Too Often
The hardest material in your body is the outer layer of your teeth called the enamel. Enamel is naturally capable of helping your teeth stay strong and help you chew fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Enamel is not always equipped to help you chew hard candy and ice cubes. The more often you chew these foods, the more damage you do to your enamel. Over time, your enamel wears down and can no longer sustain the force from your bite on those types of food. A chip or crack is the result of weakened enamel from continued crunching. If you find that those are foods you regularly eat, then you should consider stopping that habit before your teeth chip.
2. Jaw Clenching and Teeth Grinding
People who clench their jaws and grind their teeth have an involuntary habit called bruxism. Beyond jaw pain, this issue can cause headaches, migraines, wear on tooth enamel, and broken teeth. You may even grind your teeth but you may not be aware of it because people can unconsciously do this in their sleep. For some people, they clench their jaw when they are experiencing stress or anxiety and for others, there are no triggers. If you think you may have bruxism, be sure to talk to the dentist about your symptoms and you two can determine the best treatment plan for you before you chip or crack any teeth.
3. Cavities and Tooth Decay
We know that dentists recommend brushing our teeth twice a day and flossing between our cleaning appointments every six months. Not everyone follows those suggestions every day and others are not able to keep up good habits for a variety of reasons. Brushing and flossing at home will absolutely help you keep your teeth clean but they are not enough to prevent gum disease and tooth decay. Regular dental appointments will help the dentist monitor any potential issues and give your teeth a cleaning you are not able to do yourself at home.
4. Age
As we get older we can count on gray hair, wrinkles, and other changes to our tissues in our body, including our gums and teeth. Years of habits leave their mark on us; our teeth will look different if we drank coffee every day or if we drank just water. Our enamel is not able to be repaired like other bones in our body. As it wears down, we leave our teeth more vulnerable to chips and cracks. One recent study showed that people between the ages of 45-54 are most likely to experience a chipped tooth.