Rebuilding Smiles with Dr. Cait: A Modern Approach to Dental Attrition
This is one of Dr. Cait's recent smile reconstructions focusing on correcting existing dental attrition and placing beautiful crowns on teeth that are discolored and damaged.
Dental attrition, the gradual wearing down of teeth from daily activities and habits, is a common issue, especially as we age. Dr. Cait specializes in mouth reconstruction to counteract the effects of dental attrition, restoring teeth and enhancing smiles through advanced, personalized treatments.
Understanding Dental Attrition
Dental attrition occurs due to the mechanical actions of chewing, speaking, and habits like nail-biting or teeth grinding. Over time, these actions wear down the enamel, affecting the size, shape, and functionality of the teeth.
Causes of Dental Attrition
1. Mechanical Wear: Daily activities like eating and speaking involve repetitive motions that contribute to the wearing down of teeth.
2. Parafunctional Habits: Habits such as nail-biting and teeth grinding (bruxism) can accelerate attrition by exerting excessive force on the teeth.
3. Age: As we age, our teeth naturally undergo more wear due to prolonged exposure to the factors causing attrition.
Dr. Cait’s Approach to Treating Dental Attrition
Treating dental attrition effectively involves more than just repairing worn teeth. Dr. Cait’s comprehensive approach addresses the underlying causes, ensuring proper alignment and spacing of the jaws and teeth for lasting results.
1. Jaw Positioning: Proper jaw alignment is crucial. Dr. Cait ensures the jaw is correctly positioned to prevent further wear.
2. Restoring Vertical Dimension of Occlusion (VDO): This involves ensuring the back teeth hold the jaws apart, preventing excessive force on the front teeth during biting and chewing.
3. Anterior Protection and Canine Guidance: Ensuring the front teeth do not touch when the back teeth do, and allowing the canine teeth to guide lateral movements, helps manage the forces exerted by the jaw muscles, reducing wear.
Treatment Techniques
1. Restoring Vertical Dimension: Dr. Cait often starts by restoring the VDO through orthodontic treatments to re-establish proper jaw distance, which is essential for children with overbites or underbites.
2. Nighttime Wear Devices: Devices like mouthguards or Myobrace® are used to prevent teeth grinding during sleep, training the muscles and protecting the teeth from further attrition.
3. Midline and Centric Relation: Ensuring the midline of the dental arch aligns with the center of the face and that teeth meet in the correct centric relation helps distribute forces evenly across the teeth.
Importance of Early Intervention
Early diagnosis and intervention are vital in managing dental attrition. Regular check-ups allow Dr. Cait to monitor changes in the teeth and jaw alignment, addressing issues before they become severe. Educating patients about the causes and effects of attrition and encouraging preventive measures can significantly improve long-term oral health. Conclusion Dental attrition is a common issue, but with Dr. Cait’s expertise in mouth reconstruction, patients can regain the size, shape, and whiteness of their teeth while ensuring proper jaw alignment. Dr. Cait’s holistic approach not only preserves the teeth but also enhances overall facial aesthetics, helping patients look and feel younger. Regular dental visits and early interventions are key to maintaining healthy teeth and jaws, preventing severe attrition-related problems. In the next article, we will delve deeper into how Dr. Cait restores her patients’ smiles from the inside out, emphasizing the importance of facial fullness and height for a youthful appearance.
Stay tuned to learn more about how Dr. Cait’s unique techniques can help you preserve your smile for a lifetime. Dr. Cait loves to rebuild smiles from the inside out!
