Over Aggressive Brushing
Frequently we see tooth abrasion caused by over aggressive tooth brushing. This usually presents itself as an indentation or concavity near the gum line of the teeth. Patient’s may or may not feel sensitivity from these lesions even though the damage to the enamel is severe.
The cause of the tooth abrasion is generally the use of a hard scrubbing motion on the enamel daily over several years. This along with a hard bristle toothbrush, or abrasive toothpaste are the major factors contributing to this condition.
Recommendations to help prevent further abrasion of the teeth would be too lighten up on the pressure. The purpose of brushing is to remove softened food that deposits on our teeth. This requires a soft bristle brush and sweeping or circular motions with light pressure to ensure we are not abrading enamel. Often times we are tempted to brush harder to help remove stains but this requires whitening agents to lift stains instead of scrubbing our outer layer of enamel away.
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