In a previous article I talked about the difference between erosion and attrition. In the next few articles I'll be discussing the different kinds of erosion.

Erosion or wear caused by the introduction of corrosive agents has a satiny finish and often occurs in areas where other tooth surfaces can't touch.

Chemical corrosion is the most common cause of erosive wear and common causes are:

  • Chronic Gastroesophageal Reflux (GERD)
  • Bulimia
  • Acidic beverages
  • Citrus fruits
  • Habits

There are two types of erosion: intrinsic and extrinsic.

Intrinsic erosion usually comes from regurgitated stomach fluids, i.e, reflux or bulimia. Intrinsic erosion most commonly affects the lingual and occlusal surfaces of teeth and may be asymmetric as in the wear of GERD:

Extrinsic erosion is caused by ingested acidic substances and will show up on the facial and occlusal surfaces of teeth and is often worse in the lower arch.

Over the next few installments we will look at each of the individual causes of erosion and how to identify them.


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