Do Teeth Chip with Age?
The inevitable body changes you will experience as you age include changes to your teeth. Over time, the protective enamel on your teeth gradually wears thin and breaks down due to acids in the food and drink you consume every day. This process weakens teeth and can make you vulnerable to chipping or fracturing, especially after age 50.
Even though this is a common problem for people as they age, there are steps you can take to prevent chips, cracks, or fractures in your teeth as you get older.
Follow these simple—but essential and effective—habits and routines to help protect the strength of your teeth and the bones in your mouth and jaw:
- Maintaining good oral health is the most important thing you can do. Keep your teeth clean by brushing twice daily with a toothpaste that contains fluoride. Floss at least once a day, and use a fluoride mouth rinse at least once a day.
- Balanced nutrition, when combined with good oral hygiene, can help prevent tooth decay. Eat foods that contain essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, especially calcium.
- If you have existing tooth decay, see your dentist for treatments such as fillings, bonding, veneers, or crowns to restore your teeth and help maintain their structural integrity so they are less likely to chip, crack, or break.
Also, avoid chewing on exceptionally hard foods such as ice or hard candy. Chewing your fingernails is another common cause of chipped teeth. Do not tear open packages using your teeth. Especially avoid using your teeth to remove bottle caps. This is particularly destructive and is also a common way people damage their teeth unnecessarily.
Help for Teeth Grinding, or Bruxism
You may not even realize that you grind or clench your teeth, an oral condition known as bruxism, but it can make you susceptible to chipped or broken teeth. Bruxism causes the protective enamel on your teeth and the chewing surfaces to gradually erode and weaken.
Many people fail to recognize that they are grinding and clenching their teeth until they experience symptoms such as jaw pain, or they see a chipped tooth in their mouth, or feel it with their tongue. Teeth grinding often occurs during sleep or especially in times of personal stress or some other type of physical tension in the body.
If you grind or clench your teeth while sleeping, your dentist can provide you with a custom-made nightguard to help protect your teeth. Or if your bruxism is a problem for you in times of stress or anxiety, your dentist or regular medical provider can discuss stress-management techniques with you to help reduce such occurrences.
Do Your Part for Healthy, Strong Teeth
While the effects of aging typically increase the likelihood you will experience chipped teeth, you can do your part to keep your teeth strong using the behavior modification steps and overall healthy dental and nutrition habits described here. As always, your best course of action is seeing your dentist as soon as possible for symptoms or pain related to chipped teeth.