When teeth chip or even break, despite how bad the damage may look, a trip to your dentist for some restorative dentistry such as a filling or crown should usually suffice. However, when multiple teeth suddenly begin to crumble, falling apart while you enjoy a piece of fruit like an apple, you know that something much worse than a simple fracture is afoot.

However, the answer to your problem may lie with something as simple as a lifestyle adjustment. In this modern age, it is hard to keep up, juggling a career, a family and a social life. You may have unwittingly neglected your teeth.

Your situation can always be improved with some research and a little help from your family dentist.

Your Favourite Foods May Contain Hidden Sugar

If you don't read the nutrition labels on your favourite foods, it might be time to start. You should also learn the many names of sugar because the chances are good that your favourite food contains more sugar than you could possibly imagine.

Did you know that there are 56 different names for sugar? Lactose, ethyl maltol, dextrose, maltose and sucrose are just five of those names, and looking at them, you can see that it might not register just how much sugar you are eating unless you know what they mean.

When your teeth are constantly bathed in sugar, the bacteria present in your mouth metabolize that sugar and produce acid that eats away at your teeth. This can cause teeth to crumble, and if you consume this amount of sugar regularly, it is possible that several teeth may start to chip away at the same time.

You May Not Be Producing Enough Saliva

If you regularly have a dry mouth, then this may be the cause of your problem. Saliva not only helps to disinfect your mouth, but it also neutralizes the acids in the foods we eat and washes away food debris that might otherwise be devoured by bacteria.

However, you need to provide your body with the necessary ingredient to produce saliva—water. If you are not drinking enough of it, or you clean your teeth more than twice a day, you may be depriving your body of this vital source of dental protection. Medication can also cause dry mouth, so talk to your doctor about ways to combat the condition.

Dry mouth will increase the risk of chipping a tooth because the acids in your food will eat away at the enamel while the acids produced by bacteria erode your teeth.

It May Be Wear and Tear

Teeth deteriorate with age, and so your problem may simply be caused by wear and tear or a combination of wear and tear and the above-mentioned causes. The best thing you can do is to improve your oral hygiene practices, drink more water, see your dentist to explore your dental options to conserve your remaining teeth, and cut down on foods rich in sugar and acid.

If you are worried about the state of your teeth, seek the counsel of your dentist. They can assist you in determining the likely cause and suggest the appropriate lifestyle changes as well as restore your smile to its former glory. 

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