I found out I've been grinding my teeth at night - my dentist showed me the wear on my molars and recommended a night guard. I'm worried I've already done permanent damage that can't be fixed. How bad does it actually get and what are my options if the grinding has already worn things down?
The damage teeth grinding causes depends on how far it's gone - some wear is just surface enamel loss, which doesn't reverse but stops getting worse once you use a night guard, while severe grinding can flatten teeth down to the dentin or even crack them, which does need actual dental work like crowns or bonding. Your dentist can tell you exactly what you're dealing with by looking at how much material is actually gone, so I'd ask them specifically whether your molars just need monitoring or if they're recommending restorative treatment now. The good news is that starting a night guard today prevents further damage, which honestly matters way more than obsessing over what's already happened - at least you caught it.
Once enamel wears down, it doesn't grow back - that part's permanent - but the good news is that using a night guard stops the bleeding immediately (so to speak) and prevents things from getting exponentially worse. If the wear is mostly surface level, you might not need anything beyond the guard and good habits. For deeper damage where the tooth structure is actually compromised, you've got options like bonding to rebuild the surface, or crowns if it's really severe, but those are cosmetic/protective fixes rather than reversing anything. A trick most people don't think about: if you're clenching during the day too (even without the grinding sounds), catching yourself and relaxing your jaw throughout the day actually matters as much as the night guard - set phone reminders for the first couple weeks to check in with your jaw tension, it retrains your habits faster than just wearing the guard at night.
Log into answer.
