Teeth grinding or bruxism is hazardous to your natural teeth due to the pressure and grinding that can ruin the enamel and make your teeth more vulnerable to cavities, stubborn staining, and cracks. But teeth grinding poses as much of a hazard for some artificial dental corrections used to correct past damage or a cosmetic defect. If you have a history of teeth grinding and need some work at the cosmetic dentistry office, you should know that your grinding will put certain corrections at risk.

Note that grinding doesn't necessary preclude you from ever receiving one of these corrections. Your dentist might recommend physical therapy or another type of treatment to help break you of the habit before you receive one of these dental corrections.

Dental Bridges

A dental bridge, which is used to replace a single missing tooth, is vulnerable to grinding due to the way the bridge is stabilized. The artificial replacement tooth hangs between two dental crowns that are bonded onto your natural teeth on either side of the gap. The artificial tooth has no underlying support structure, so if something happens to compromise one or both of those crowns, the bridge is in danger of failing.

Dental crowns used on a bridge can be made of the more natural looking but brittle porcelain or have a porcelain upper with a more durable metal backing. In a mouth without teeth grinding, the metal-backed porcelain will likely be strong enough to support the bridge. Teeth grinding puts the upper porcelain at risk and the lower metal, which is made thinner since it is a backing, could also end up facing some erosion.

You could receive fully metal crowns, which would look far from natural. But a better course of action would be to have your teeth grinding treated ahead of the dental bridge placement.

Veneers

Veneers are another dental correction made of porcelain that risks damage due to teeth grinding. Veneers are porcelain shells that are bonded to the front of the tooth only to change the shape, cover staining, or correct a chip or crack that's only on the front of the tooth.

Due to its targeted positioning, a veneer can be even more vulnerable than a dental bridge. That's because the veneer will take the grinding pressure on its top where the edge connects with the natural tooth. The bonding agent can loosen over time with the repeated pressure and the veneer can either crack or pop off completely.

Receiving and replacing dental implants is not cheap, so you should try and treat your grinding before the procedure.  

Dental Implant

Dental implants are typically considered one of the stronger and more stable dental corrections available. Implants are used to replace single missing teeth and involve the dentist putting an artificial root in your jawbone before the implant crown is placed. The jawbone heals around the root, which provides the stability for the crown, which is often made of porcelain.

Again, porcelain is vulnerable to teeth grinding even when it is thick like in the dental implant crown. But there's another way grinding can compromise a dental implant. The constant grinding pressure can cause damage to the jawbone both under the natural teeth and the implant. The bone damage or erosion can loosen the dental implant root and cause the crown to fall out.

Discuss your dental treatment options with your cosmetic dentist and see if there are alternatives as you work on treating your teeth grinding. The dentist might allow you to go along with one of these procedures if you promise to be diligent about wearing a night guard while working on curing your grinding.  

Contact a professional like Smile 312: Harvey Jay Mahler DDS to learn more.