Why Do Your Teeth Feel Rough Or Ragged? What Can You Do About It?

When people think about healthy teeth, they often visualize a set of perfectly white, straight, and even-looking teeth. However, even if your teeth are white and straight, you can still end up with the biting surfaces of your teeth becoming rough, uneven, or ragged. If you don't understand how they ended up this way and want to fix the problem, read on.

Grinding

One of the leading causes of this problem is teeth grinding. Before you decide that this can't apply to you because you don't grind your teeth, keep in mind that you might grind in your sleep.

Grinding your teeth together is a problem because dental enamel rubbing against itself can damage the enamel. When two teeth are pressed together very strongly, or rub against each other, they can end up losing some of their protective layers. This increases your risk for developing cavities, but it can also give your teeth a ragged or rough appearance. Enamel doesn't always wear down evenly, so the result is some of your teeth may appear smoother and longer than others.

Decay

Another potential problem is dental decay. You don't have to have a cavity in order for this to impact your teeth, either.

Dental decay wears down the enamel similarly to how grinding your teeth together does. This means that for some people if teeth appear to be rough or ragged, it may indicate that there's a potential risk for developing cavities. In the meantime, of course, rough edges on a tooth can be irritating and cause difficulties for you.

Getting Help

You don't need to wait for a cavity to develop or put up with this problem before getting help. Seeing a dentist as soon as possible for this issue can not only help you to get your old appearance back but also protect the health of your teeth.

When you visit a dentist, they'll examine your teeth and perform an x-ray to ensure that there's no internal damage to the softer structures of the teeth. If everything looks okay, they'll likely recommend dental bonding. This process uses dental cement to carefully rebuild the structure of the tooth. It will even out the surface, making it feel slick and smooth again, and can help to protect your tooth from further damage. If you grind your teeth, you can also ask your dentist for help in the form of a grinding guard.

Talk to a general dentist to get help with your teeth.