Why Flat Teeth Are a Serious Issue (and What to Do About Them)

Short of a stint in orthodontics if you had braces, your teeth have been some of the most consistent parts of your body. Yet, suddenly, you’re noticing that they’re not as sharp as they once were. In fact, they’re pretty flat. 

What’s going on?

While teeth can shift positions for many reasons—like age and weakened gums—when they become flatter, a serious issue is usually waiting to be uncovered.

Chances are, you’re grinding your teeth, a condition known as bruxism.

Here, we’ll discuss why your teeth grinding could lead to flat teeth, why you shouldn’t ignore the signs, and what you can do to help fix the problem.

Signs That You Grind Your Teeth At Night

Looking closely at your teeth in the mirror, you’ll see that they all appear slightly different. You have four main types of adult teeth, each serving a specific purpose.

Knowing what your teeth are supposed to look like helps you recognize signs of weakness or grinding.

A Quick Tooth Analysis

First visible in your smile are your incisors. There are two kinds: lateral incisors and central incisors. These thin and flat front teeth are there to help bite into food easily and hold your lips in place to aid with clear speaking.

Your four canine teeth, also called cuspids, are purposely sharp, as they’re made to cut and tear food. They also support the lips, keeping them in position and helping guide your upper and lower teeth when you open and close your mouth. 

Bicuspids, or premolars, sit behind the cuspids. They have a flat surface that helps them chew the food and keep the shape of your face. Adults have eight premolars (four upper and four lower).

Your twelve molars (six on top and six on the bottom) sit behind the premolars. They are also wide and flat, designed to chew and grind food and hold your face shape. Adults have three types: first, second, and third molars.

Third molars are also known as wisdom teeth and come in last at the back of the mouth. Many people have their wisdom teeth removed to prevent overcrowding of their other permanent teeth.

Grinding Causes Unnatural Flatness 

While most types of teeth are naturally flat, if you feel inside your mouth along the surface of each tooth, you’ll notice many have ridges or bumps. These help give your teeth some traction and grip when you chew. 

But when you grind your teeth, the top surfaces wear away and become smooth and flat, and your canines begin to lose their biting sharpness.

Other Signs of Teeth Grinding

Beyond the visible signs of eroded teeth, bruxism brings with it many physical symptoms. This condition causes you to clench your jaw and gnash your teeth for hours at a time while you sleep without realizing it, and chronic use of those muscles leads to side effects like:

• Jaw pain
• Neck and shoulder discomfort
• Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) popping and cracking
• Morning headaches
• Earaches
• Sensitive teeth and gums
• Chipped, fractured, or loose teeth
• Worn tooth enamel
• Locked jaw
• Fatigue

So, while flat teeth aren’t always visible enough to create an aesthetic problem, the effects of the erosion from grinding don’t stop there. If you have any of these symptoms and your teeth seem flatter than they should be, it’s time to step in and prevent further damage.

Why is Nighttime Teeth Grinding a Problem?

The likely culprit behind your flattening teeth is bruxism. Teeth grinding and jaw clenching might not sound like a horrible problem to have, but it can lead to serious dental and medical health issues, which also trigger mental health concerns.

Why Bruxing is Dangerous to Your Dental Health

Bruxers end up with tooth wear because of the teeth-on-teeth contact. This friction erodes the enamel, causing flatter teeth. The same result can happen when you chew on hard objects like fingernails, toothpicks, and pens, but it takes longer. 

The friction caused by grinding and chewing hard objects wears away at the enamel, eventually exposing the inner tooth surfaces. Worn-down teeth open the dentin and nerve pulp to air, letting bacteria get into these delicate parts and increasing tooth sensitivity.

Under Pressure

Unlike chewing on your favorite hard object, bruxing brings a second issue: pressure. Although enamel is harder than bone, it can break if it’s under too much stress.

When you brux in your sleep, you bite down and clench your jaw stronger than you would while awake. This bite force places your teeth under immense strain. Yes, you’re strong enough to crack, fracture, and chip your teeth! 

Over time, pressure and erosion weaken tooth enamel, making it more susceptible to damage from acidic foods and beverages. Bruxers with sugary and acidic diets are more likely to develop tooth decay, cavities, and gum disease.

The Link Between Flat Teeth and Medical Health Conditions

Flat teeth from bruxing can also cause other medical concerns:

TMJ Disorders

Regular chewing movements will erode your teeth over time, but the repetitive motions of bruxism add extra strain, increasing this wear and tear. In addition to the strain on your teeth, jaw clenching leads to overuse of the facial muscles, ligaments, and joints.

When your TMJ is damaged from too much strain, it often leads to painful TMJ disorders (TMDs). There are over 30 different TMDs, but they are all characterized by pain and dysfunction in the TMJ and the adjoining muscles that move the jaw. 

TMDs make it difficult to chew and open your mouth without pain. A strained TMJ also makes it difficult to chew or talk, reducing the enjoyment of social interactions.

Mild TMJ disorders may go away on their own, but if not, it’s time to talk to get medical advice. You may need to see a TMJ specialist.

Tension Headaches and Migraines

Another side effect of bruxism is headaches caused by tight muscles. These ongoing tension-type headaches interfere with your day, making it difficult to concentrate. The overworked TMJ muscles in your cheeks, jaw, and side of your head create muscle tension. This extra tightness shows up as migraine headaches in some bruxers.

Fatigue and the Side Effects of Chronic Disturbed Sleep

Finally, bruxing makes it difficult to sleep through the night, even if you don’t know it. As you go through the typical arousal stages between the different levels of sleep, you notice the grinding and clenching pain and become alert enough to adjust your teeth. 

This ongoing disrupted sleep not only makes you tired the next day, but it puts you at risk for medical conditions such as high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes, as well as depression.

Decreased Self-Esteem 

Speaking of depression, cracked, worn, and broken teeth are also a mental concern. These dangers expose your nerves and pulp to decay and make you self-conscious about your smile. Psychological studies show that if you’re unhappy with your smile, it is directly related to lower self-esteem, while if you have a healthy smile, it increases your confidence.

What To Do If You Grind Your Teeth at Night

The next step is learning how to prevent your grinding from causing more damage. However, the solution to this condition depends on why you’re doing it.

Stress and Grinding

While there are various causes of bruxism, one of the most common reasons for grinding is stress. Bruxism and high stress levels are intricately linked. Soothing your stress levels may reduce your grinding. 

You might not be able to avoid stress in your job or home, but by bringing in a few minutes of relaxation daily, you can reduce the stress hormones in your body.

Try to create a relaxing bedtime routine with soft lighting, no electronics, and peaceful music. Take up yoga or meditation, and enjoy walks in nature every day. 

Whatever works to lower your heart rate and stress hormone levels is beneficial and may minimize your grinding for that night.

Learn more: What’s Stress Got to Do With It?

Other Causes of Grinding

Stress may be the number one cause of grinding, but it’s far from the only reason for bruxism. Yours could stem from a TMJ disorder (as discussed above) or something else. 

Medications

Certain meds, including SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), SNRIs (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors), and antipsychotics have a strong link to bruxism behaviors. Illicit drugs, particularly phenethylamines, cocaine, and heroin, also trigger grinding.

OSA

Another reason many people brux is because they have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a common sleep disorder. Studies show a significant relationship between OSA and sleep bruxism in adults, placing this condition as a top risk factor for teeth grinding.

Dental Complications

Finally, some dental complications can trigger your jaw to clench and your teeth to grind due to pain. If you have chips or cracks, cavities, or other oral health damage, talk to your dentist to determine what cosmetic or dental treatment options are available before the problem worsens.

How a Night Guard Helps Prevent Further Damage

As you work to determine the reason for your grinding and fix that issue, you want to take steps to prevent more damage. Since getting treatment for OSA and reducing stress can take a long time, you’ll keep grinding.

But with a night guard, your teeth and jaw muscles are safe from those repetitive actions!

A night guard is an oral appliance you wear while you sleep. It holds your jaw in a comfortable position while keeping your upper and lower teeth from touching and gaining friction. Because they can’t connect, they can’t get the traction they need to grind, leaving your enamel safe from contact and giving your muscles a chance to rest overnight.

The JS Dental Lab Difference

There are many types of night guards available, but the best is the high-quality, professional-grade guard designed for your teeth. You can find these at your dentist or save money and add convenience by checking out our custom-made night guards at JS Dental Lab.

Our hard, soft, and hybrid night guards are easy to order, with the impression kit delivered straight to your mailbox. The process is simple and affordable, and your finished night guard will be comfortable and highly effective against the ongoing grinding that causes your teeth to flatten.

Conclusion

Your smile is unique to you, and there’s no “wrong” way to show off your teeth, whether they’re “normal,” pointy, or flat. However, when you notice your teeth becoming flatter, there’s a problem that goes beyond looks. 

You, like millions of others, may have bruxism, and there’s an easy fix for the tooth-grinding damage it causes: a custom-fit night guard from JS Dental Lab. 

Visit our site today to order yours and take the first step towards getting your healthy smile back.