When you bend a stick too much, the stick breaks from the stress. When you grind on a tooth too much, the tooth flexes and bends and the area that the tooth bends dissolves leaving a notch. The notch is at the bottom front of the dental crown near the gums and is called a dental abfraction.

          Years ago dentists and hygienists believed a dental abfraction was from brushing too hard but many patients who do not brush also have these tooth notches. So dentists now know that in most cases, tooth notches are not due to hard bristle brushes or overly hard brushing.

          The most common teeth to suffer with a dental abfraction is the bicuspid teeth, especially the upper bicuspids but the notches can also be found on cuspids ( vampire teeth ) and molars. The notch is below the dental crown on the root surface and is formed because the minerals that form the dental root have dissolved due to the grinding pressures. This exposes the tooth nerve and often causes tooth sensitivity to hot and cold. Desensitizing toothpastes like Denquel or Sensodyne do help reduce the sensitivity from dental abfractions, but the real cause is from bruxism (tooth grinding).

          Some dentists attempt to fill the dental abfraction notches with white dental fillings, called composites, but because the tooth still flexes and bends, these white filling often pop out of the notch leaving a bigger hole than the original notch. We recommend that patients first get soft grinding guards before attempting to fill their tooth notches.

          If you have a dental abfraction and would like to consult with Dr. Padolsky, please make an appointment by calling 404-874-7428.