Dental abrasion: notched, worn teeth at the gum line

Abrasion, erosion, attrition and abfraction

Abrasion is wear from an external object: horizontal scrubbing with a hard brush, abrasive tooth powder or charcoal paste, habitual toothpick use, holding pins or thread between the teeth. Erosion is chemical dissolution from acid — citrus, aerated drinks, reflux, frequent vomiting. Attrition is tooth-against-tooth wear from grinding. Abfraction is flexural loss at the neck of the tooth under heavy bite loading.

Most worn teeth involve two or three of these together, and repairing the surface without identifying which forces are acting on it guarantees the repair fails. That is why the examination looks at your brush, your bite and your diet, not just the notch.

Why it makes teeth sensitive

Enamel has no nerves; the dentine beneath it is riddled with microscopic tubules leading to the pulp. Once abrasion cuts through to dentine, cold air, cold water and sweet foods travel straight down those tubules and register as a sharp, short shock.

Deep notches also weaken the tooth at its narrowest point, and an untreated one can eventually crack the crown off at the gum line.

How it is treated

Shallow, non-sensitive wear is monitored, photographed and controlled by fixing the cause — a soft brush, a modified technique of small circles rather than scrubbing, a non-abrasive fluoride paste and desensitising agents applied in the chair.

Notches that are deep, sensitive or catching the tongue are restored with a flexible composite bonded into the defect; the material must be chosen for a site under flexural stress, and the margin polished so plaque does not accumulate at the gum.

Where grinding is contributing, a night guard is made. Where reflux or dietary acid is the driver, that is addressed first — restoring a surface that continues to be dissolved is wasted work.

A full super speciality dental hospital, not a single-chair clinic

Patients from Jaipur come to us because every dental speciality sits under one roof. Oral and maxillofacial surgery, endodontics, prosthodontics, orthodontics, periodontics and paediatric dentistry are handled by dedicated specialists rather than one general dentist attempting all of it. A complex case that would otherwise need referrals to three different clinics is planned and completed in one place, by a team that reviews it together.

Diagnosis comes before any plan: on-site CBCT for bone volume, nerve position and sinus anatomy, and intraoral scanning that feeds digital design for crowns, veneers and aligners. The hospital is NABH accredited, so protocols, sterilisation and record-keeping are independently audited. The hospital is empanelled with RGHS, CGHS, ECHS, Rajasthan Housing Board, Indian Railways and the Dairy Co-operation, so serving and retired government employees and their dependants can be treated on their entitlement rather than paying out of pocket.

Booking, timings and what the first visit covers

The first visit is a proper diagnostic appointment, not a sales conversation: examination, imaging where it is needed, an explanation of every reasonable option including doing nothing for now, and a staged written estimate before you decide. OPD runs Monday to Saturday, 11 am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 8 pm, and on Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm.

Call +91 93144 03502 or write to reception@dramitsharmahospital.com to be booked with the specialist who handles your problem rather than whoever happens to be free. Out-of-town patients can send an OPG or CBCT in advance so the plan is ready before they travel.