Defect Caused by Eating Seeds

Some Chinese folks love to pop open sunflower or watermelon seeds with their front teeth and eat thing inside.  Over years wear and tear occurs.  Incisal edges of front teeth have large defects (Fig.1 arrowheads).  They may present a cosmetic problem.  It is difficult to image the enamel, the hardest tissue in our body, can be worn in such a subtle way.  The solution to the problem is quite simple and immediate.  White filling is what we need (Fig.2).  The result is fairly stable over time.

Xin Wei, DDS, PhD, MS 1st edition 04/14/2012, last revision 04/15/2012