Tooth enamel is the hardest tissue in the body. Unfortunately, it can't be re-cultivated artificially either, even with those special toothpastes. Enamel helps protect teeth from everyday use, such as chewing, biting, crunching and grinding. Although enamel is a hard protector of teeth, it can crack and break.
Enamel also insulates teeth from potentially painful temperatures and chemicals. When it erodes, you may notice that it reacts more to cold or hot foods, beverages, and sweets, as they can reach through holes in the enamel to the nerves inside. As mentioned above, once the enamel is lost, it cannot be replaced. However, weakened enamel can be recovered through a process called remineralization, which replaces minerals lost in the enamel and strengthens it once again.
Fluoride products, such as fluoride toothpaste and foods high in calcium, are great for aiding remineralization. Fluoride acts as a barrier between teeth and destructive substances such as sugars, starches and acids, protecting weakened enamel and teeth. For specific tips based on enamel loss, be sure to talk to your dentist about the best solution for you and your teeth. Once enamel is destroyed and lost, it cannot be repaired.
Enamel is the hard outer layer of your teeth that protects them from damage. However, like bone, enamel can wear away and be destroyed over time.
This is called tooth enamel erosion and is one of the most common forms of dental decay. Luckily, there are steps you can take to help strengthen your teeth and prevent enamel loss.
Tooth Decay
Dental decay, or caries, occurs when bacteria build up a sticky layer of plaque over your teeth. This plaque is filled with acids that attack the enamel of your teeth and create holes in them called cavities.
Early stage tooth decay can be reversed if it’s caught in time, and can save your tooth from serious damage. However, if it’s not treated, this can lead to serious oral health problems like a severe toothache and infection or the need for a root canal procedure or even tooth extraction.
If you want to prevent tooth decay, you should brush your teeth after every meal and limit the amount of sugary and acidic food and drinks that you consume. Using a fluoride toothpaste and visiting your dental team regularly can also help to keep your teeth strong.
Gum Disease
Enamel, the hard outer covering of teeth, can get worn and chipped away due to poor diet, unhealthy oral habits, medications and illnesses that affect the immune system. Once enamel has been damaged, there’s no way to repair it.
The first step is to identify the disease through a thorough dental exam that includes placing a periodontal probe between your teeth and gums to measure their depth. This probe helps your dentist check for signs of gum disease such as red, swollen and tender gums that bleed when you brush or floss.
Gum disease treatment usually involves a combination of non-surgical procedures, like scaling and root planing, antibiotics, and sometimes surgery. Surgical treatments can reduce inflammation, and help your body rebuild tissues destroyed by gum disease.
Dry Mouth
Saliva is a natural substance that helps wash away food particles, neutralize acids produced by bacteria in the mouth and help protect your teeth from tooth decay. Without saliva, the bacteria that cause tooth decay can grow and thrive.
Dry mouth can be caused by a variety of factors including certain conditions, medications and aging. It's important to talk with your doctor or dentist if you think you might have an underlying condition, so they can treat it properly.
Symptoms of dry mouth include difficulty swallowing, changes in your sense of taste, a burning sensation or pain in your mouth and a lack of saliva when you speak. It can also lead to a higher risk of tooth decay and gum disease.
Stress
Stress is an emotional and physical reaction to a certain situation or pressure that can have a wide range of health effects. It causes your heart rate to increase, your muscles to tense and sweat, and long-term problems can arise.
Chronic or ongoing stress can also affect your dental health in a number of ways. This includes issues like dry mouth, teeth grinding and clenching (bruxism), and canker sores.
Dry mouth is a major oral health problem because it inhibits saliva production and allows bacteria to flourish. Saliva removes food particles from teeth, keeps them moist, remineralizes enamel and helps fight off bacteria.
Teeth grinding and clenching can cause wear down and chipped teeth, as well as TMJ disorder, which is pain in the jaw joint that makes it difficult to chew and talk.
To help prevent these ill-health problems, try to find ways to relieve your stress and maintain your dental hygiene. Keeping up with your routine of brushing and flossing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste will help keep your smile healthy and free from tooth decay.
This often leads to a cavity that will need to be filled by a dentist. While tooth enamel cannot be reconstructed, enamel loss due to acid erosion can be prevented with a good oral care routine. Crest Gum and Enamel Repair prevents enamel loss and strengthens the. It helps neutralize plaque, the bacteria around the gum line that can weaken that enamel.
It also contains active stannous fluorine, which binds to enamel and strengthens it to create a microthin shield against acid attack. Once you've found a dentist and confirmed that you have enamel damage, treatment can begin. Your dentist will focus on rebuilding the structure of your tooth, which should protect you from further damage. Enamel is the shiny, white outer surface of the tooth that protects its inner layers.
Because tooth enamel does not contain living cells, once it has disappeared, the body cannot repair the damage caused by enamel wear and tear on its own. 1, 2 The good news is that acid-weakened enamel can be strengthened and restored by making the right oral care and dietary changes. Clenching and grinding your teeth also wears away tooth enamel, so be sure to ask your dentist about dental protection if you're prone to this. Two of the most common signs that tooth enamel is worn out are pain and sensitivity when eating, especially when consuming hot or cold foods or beverages.
If you're looking for a dentist who specializes in enamel loss and solutions, check out 123Dentist's list of dental professionals to find your perfect option. While fluoride is useful for preventing tooth decay, too much fluoride can cause problems such as enamel fluorosis. These acids attack tooth enamel and wear down the minerals that keep it strong, so you must protect your enamel. For mouths with advanced enamel loss, artificial teeth can be installed as a solution to prevent further decay in the teeth, gums and the general structure of the jaw.
If enamel loss is significant, the dentist may recommend covering the tooth with a crown or veneer. Think of your mouth as a battlefield between “bad guys” (the acids that remove minerals from tooth enamel in a process called demineralization) and “good guys” (saliva, the body's natural defense against acid attacks). In fact, tooth enamel is considered to be the hardest mineral substance in the body, even stronger than bone. Eliminating acidic foods, rinsing your mouth with water, and brushing your teeth with a remineralizing toothpaste can protect enamel from these harmful dental problems.
Without enamel, the sensitive part of the teeth is exposed and vulnerable to destructive substances, is much more susceptible to breakage and can become extremely sensitive and painful. Brushing with a stiff bristle toothbrush, picking your teeth with a toothpick, and scraping your teeth with dentures or retainers are some of the most common ways in which tooth abrasion occurs. . .
