Why do my teeth keep breaking?

Some of my patients do seem to break a number of their teeth. There are probably a number of factors in involved. 
        First lets look at back teeth that break or crack. Often the teeth that break have fillings that undermine the existing tooth structure. Even a small filling placed close to the edge ( the mesial or distal of the tooth) can make a crack more likely to develop. Many of these teeth really should  have onlays or crowns placed to protect them.

             Another factor is the occlusion and frequency of night time clenching and bruxism ( many people do this at times while sleeping). Patients that have worn their teeth flatter so that there posterior tooth surfaces meet quite broadly during excursions often apply more force to their posterior teeth. These are people who have "cow bites" (Dentists term). Often when I examine these peoples teeth they have multiple posterior broad wear facets from their forceful grinding and chewing.

                Destructive habits , such as chewing on ice cubes, bones and other hard substances can also cause teeth to break. I had one teenaged patient who had no fillings in her teeth but kept breaking her teeth. It turned out she had a habit of chewing on to a pen top (kids do the darnedest things!)

              I have also observed that older patients, whose pulps have receded (no pulps in their clinical crowns) seem to be more likely to experience tooth fracture. This is especially true if the have a deep overbite involving their anterior teeth.

                Some dentists advocate changing the occlusion of patients by extensive tooth equilibration or by reconstructive dentistry. My solution is simpler.  For  most of these situations is to recommend that my patients wear a nightguard while sleeping that will protect their teeth and help eliminate destructive tooth to tooth contacts at night. This seems to be the least invasive choice and to my mind it is a "DO NO HARM" solution to the problem.

3 Common Causes of Teeth Grinding

When someone is suffering from teeth grinding they clench their teeth unconsciously, especially while sleeping. This disease or habit is both noticeable in children as well as in adults. The latter group is given more attention than the former because it is believed that children have milk (i.e temporary) teeth. It is adults that are usually the group that is the major concern of the dentists and other professionals that have to do with this type of teeth issues because their teeth are permanent. If care is not taken a sufferer can grind away the outer covering of the teeth almost completely. This result, I want to believe you will agree with me, is not good in health and socially for the affected person.

1. Stress

Stress is a cause of 'Bruxism' (teeth grinding) that is regarded as one of the most common causes. Most doctors are of the belief that stress is a primary cause of this teeth problem especially during sleep. Stress is most likely to disrupt a persons sleep cycle. When this disruption of ones sleeping cycle occur the affected person might end up clenching their teeth unconsciously and intermittently while sleeping. Because this explanation is the most common research is being carried out extensively on this area to find out more facts

2. Aggressive Personality

This cause is related to frustration and suppressed anger which represents another cause of this disease or habit. This has a cause that involves enormous emotions in the form of expressed anger. The person concerned here lets out his frustration and anger towards their intended subject. This person might unconsciously expressing teeth clenching in the process

3. Abnormal Teeth Alignment

When the lower and upper teeth are not properly in alignment with we have a situation called Malocclusion. This is a physical cause of teeth grinding.

The abnormal alignment of the teeth in this situation usually results in involuntary grinding of the teeth when they make contact. Though this is a realistic cause of this dental problem, or habit, clinical studies is yet to confirm it

People With Stress are more Likely to get Dental Disease

People who are live high-stress lifestyles can benefit from re-evaluating their situations in order to prevent many health complications, include dental care problems.

One dental-related issue linked to too much stress is developing mouth sores. Bacteria and viruses that develop in the mouth can lead to fatigue, allergies and immune system complications, according to WebMd.com

Dealing with too much stress can also lead to teeth grinding, which can cause joint degeneration in the jaw and the breakdown of enamel. If the problem persists, it is recommended to see a dentist and have them mold a custom mouth guard.

Being overly busy can also cause people to put proper dental care at the bottom of their busy schedules, the website reports. This could include postponing or canceling dental appointments, and if a person isn't taking preventative measures at home, they could develop more severe dental problems, such as gum disease.

For example, more than 8 percent of all adults in the U.S. aged 20 to 64 years have been diagnosed with gum disease.