Do Teeth Chip with Age?

Managing your daily activities with chipped teeth can be challenging and a bit unnerving, yet it is something that can happen to absolutely anyone. The chances of you chipping a tooth naturally increase as you age because your teeth become more vulnerable, especially if you do not take proper care of them. You might even find yourself chipping your teeth more frequently as you grow older.

Three Common Causes of Chipping a Tooth

  • Chewing on hard items- Nothing will damage your teeth as quickly and easily as chewing on hard objects. Your teeth are simply not designed to chew on your ice, fingernails, or a jawbreaker. If you have a habit of doing this, make a conscious effort to stop. Also, do not use your teeth as a tool to open items.
  • Teeth grinding and clenching- Grinding your teeth is dangerous for your overall oral health. The medical term is bruxism, and it will easily lead to chipped and fractured teeth. Consistently clenching or grinding your teeth accelerates the erosion of the protective enamel and chewing surfaces, making them much more susceptible to chipping off when pressure is applied.

Chipped teeth are a common symptom of bruxism. You might not even realize you have this habit. It is something that often occurs during sleep, so you are not aware that you are doing it unless someone identifies it.

A simple and effortless way to alleviate the damage from tooth grinding is by getting a mouth guard custom-designed for you. The guard dramatically reduces the pressure on your teeth when you grind. The mouth guard also functions as a retainer, keeping your teeth in their correct position.

  • Not getting enough essential nutrients for your teeth- Your teeth will not remain healthy if you are not receiving proper amounts of important nutrients, like calcium and fluoride. These minerals both protect and strengthen your teeth from decay from the bacteria that are present daily in your mouth, breaking down the food you consume.

Even with excellent oral hygiene, you can still end up dealing with decay if you are not getting the necessary fluoride and calcium. Decayed teeth are far more susceptible to chipping since they are weaker. It now only takes a small amount of pressure to chip a decayed tooth.

To keep your teeth healthy, consume milk and other dairy products since these are good for your teeth, and then brush daily with toothpaste that contains fluoride. You can also get fluoride by drinking fluoridated water. If you already have cavities, your dentist will remove them and place dental fillings to restore their strength.

Solutions for a Chipped Tooth

Before addressing any underlying causes, your dentist could recommend treating the current damage to restore a tooth and prevent further complications. They will examine both teeth and gums, take x-rays, and assess the damage and recommend appropriate treatments.

The best solution for a chipped tooth can depend on where the tooth is in your mouth, how severe the chip is, and your own personal circumstances. The most common options are:

Are Chipped Teeth Common?