The enamel on your teeth plays an important role in your overall oral health. Think of your tooth enamel in the same way as the finish on hardwood flooring. It is pretty durable when it is new, but over time, the finish begins to wear, allowing dirt and grime to harm the actual hardwood beneath the finish. Enamel is the hard protective outermost coating on your teeth. It is the part of your teeth that you can actually see, as it is above the gum line. Like the finish on a floor, enamel can wear away over time and cause cavities and other issues.
That is why it is important to keep your teeth healthy and your enamel intact.
Dental enamel is actually the hardest tissue in the human body.1 Chewing, crunching, grinding and biting all take a toll on dental enamel, which can chip, crack and wear over time.
What is Dental Enamel?
As enamel is the protective coating on your teeth, when it wears you may notice yellowing or discoloration of your teeth, sensitivity to hot or cold food or beverages, or that you experience brief sharp pain when you eat something sweet. That is because the food or beverage has hit the layer below your enamel, which is called the dentin,
The dentin make up most of the part of the tooth that you see and is softer than enamel, but it is hard enough to support your tooth structure and contains microscopic tubules with nerve ending that connect directly to the pulp of your tooth which contains the nerve fiber that causes dental pain.2
Signs of Waring Enamel
Pain and sensitivity are good indicators that your dental enamel has worn away. They are also good indicators that you should see your dentist to discuss what is happening and how your pain or sensitivity can be relieved. Enamel doesn’t grow back. In dental terms it doesn’t regenerate, but small lesions in dental enamel do have the ability to remineralize.3 Our saliva and the fluoride and calcium in toothpaste, make remineralization possible.
How Does Enamel Break Down?
There are a host of things that cause tooth enamel to break down. Acidic items, such as fruit drinks, sour foods, candies and even soft drinks (where the bacteria in your mouth turns the sugar to acid) are all culprits.
Eating a diet high in sugar and starches is not good for your tooth enamel. Since saliva helps cleanse your mouth by washing away bacteria, having a dry mouth, caused by things such as medications, can lead to enamel breakdown. Medical conditions such as acid reflux disease (GERD), heartburn and other gastrointestinal issues can also cause stomach acids to infiltrate the mouth, as can vomiting due to alcohol misuse or eating disorders.
What are Some Enamel Care Tips?
Preventing enamel loss is your best bet. You can minimize the damage caused by many of the factors listed above by following oral care guidelines. Brushing, flossing, and using a fluoride rinse can keep your enamel stay intact, as plaque is a major cause of enamel erosion. Plaque, which is the sticky film made up of saliva, food particles, bacteria and other substances, forms between your teeth and gets inside tiny holes in the molars, next to the gum line and around your cavity fillings.4
The bacteria in plaque can change food starches into acids which start to eat away at tooth enamel, causing cavities. Visits to your dentist for regular teeth cleanings removes stubborn plaque and tartar build-up that brushing and flossing don’t eliminate, helping to prevent plaque from damaging your tooth enamel.
Using fluoride toothpaste actually helps remineralize enamel by capturing calcium and phosphates from saliva and forcing those minerals back into your teeth.5 The timing of your tooth brushing is important in preserving tooth enamel.
If you brush your teeth right after you drink a glass of acidic orange juice, for example, you are actually softening your teeth with the acid in the juice, then using your toothbrush to abrade the surface of the tooth, abrading and eroding at the same time.6 A good rule of thumb is to let your saliva work to wash away acid and remineralize your teeth for about an hour after each meal where you’ve had acidic food or beverages.7
Visit the Dentist
Taking good care of your teeth means taking good care of your dental enamel. While some factors that erode your dental enamel can’t be controlled, good oral hygiene habits can go a long way to preserving your dental enamel and minimizing dental issues. Scheduling regular dental visits is also recommended.
Call Sedki Dentistry in Commerce Township to schedule a Free dental consultation. Our dental staff is committed to providing optimal dental care services to each and every patient. Our dental services include cosmetic dentistry as well as dental treatments and gum rejuvenation. Nervous about seeing a dentist? Our sedation dentistry will remove the anxiety as will our comforting dental care. When you walk into our dental office, you will feel welcome and assured your dental needs will be met!
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1,4 Tooth Enamel Erosion and Restoration, 6/7/2020
Link: https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/tooth-enamel-erosion-restoration
2 Preventing and Treating Exposed Dentin
Link: https://www.colgate.com/en-us/oral-health/tooth-sensitivity/preventing-treating-exposed-dentin#
3 Structure of Human Teeth and Their Functions by Rizwan Ullah, 5/16/2020
Link: https://dentaleducationhub.com/structure-of-human-teeth-and-their-functions/
5, 6 Can Tooth Enamel Grow Back? by Serusha Govender
Link: https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/features/can-tooth-enamel-grow-back
7 How to Repair Tooth Enamel and Prevent Acid Erosion
Link: https://www.pronamel.us/tooth-enamel/how-to-repair-enamel/?