What is Pathological Tooth Wear

Tooth wear is considered a normal, age dependent, physiological process that leads to the loss of enamel and dentine. However, in some cases the process is so progressive that it may be pathologic. The focus of this chapter is to present the consequences of advanced tooth wear resultant from parafunction, excessive masticatory forces, imbalanced occlusal contacts, and hyperactive masticatory muscles. This chapter also outlines preventative strategies that can predictably reduce the progression of pathologic wear, which employ the T-Scan 8/BioEMG synchronization module. These two objective companion technologies assess the occlusion before, during, and after dental treatment, as well as predictably control the long-term stability of newly installed fixed, implant-supported, or removable prostheses. Their synchronization correlates muscle activity level information directly to occlusal contact force and time-sequencing information, which when applied together in the wear patient can be instrumental in tempering and eliminating pathologic occlusal wear.