Almost everyone understands the importance behind brushing your teeth and the role tooth enamel plays in preventative dentistry and maintaining dental health.
However, many underestimate the unique quality that enamel has and don’t have a complete understanding of how enamel works, which in return makes it far more difficult to take the necessary precautions to ensure they maintain healthy tooth enamel.
Of course, no one wants to see their tooth enamel begin to diminish. Not only can a cavity be painful, but those with enamel erosion are left with a less attractive smile.
With that said, many individuals don’t understand how tooth enamel works and do not use preventive dentistry to stop any erosion from occurring, despite understanding the vital role enamel plays in dental health. Here are five facts about tooth enamel that should give a better idea as to what enamel is and how to prevent erosion from occurring in your mouth.
Tooth enamel is one of the stronger substances in the human body. Considering the average human jaw can exert 171 pounds of force, this fact is extremely good news.
If tooth enamel were not so durable, people would be much more at risk of dental health concerns, so let’s start by being thankful for the excellent strength of enamel. However, tooth enamel is still vulnerable to erosion, which is why it is important to practice good oral hygiene.
What’s the secret behind the super-strength of enamel? If you dig down into the construction of enamel, the strength can be attributed to the minerals calcium and phosphate.
Although these two minerals help make tooth enamel remarkably resilient, they require a steady supply of mineral support, which is why fluoride treatment is the most highly recommended way to strengthen your enamel.
If tooth enamel is so durable, then why is enamel erosion so common? Quite simply, minerals have a kryptonite, which is acid producing bacteria.
When enamel is exposed to increased amounts of eroding substances, such as sugar then the healthy, supportive minerals go to war against the harmful acid producing bacteria. If the bacteria begins to erode more than the minerals that are in the enamel, then erosion begins to occur.
Regardless of how hard enamel may be, constantly putting excessive pressure on anything will wear it down over time.
The same concept applies to tooth enamel. When teeth are bombarded continuously with excessive force when brushing, the enamel will begin to weaken, which will eventually lead to chipping or erosion.
The worst part about enamel erosion is that it is impossible to reverse, meaning once it’s gone it will never grow back. While eroded enamel can be treated artificially, it is best to protect enamel and make it last a lifetime.
Otherwise, expensive filling procedures will be the only option for ensuring the quality of dental health and a great looking smile.
We are always here to help in guiding you on making the best choices for your tooth enamel and oral health. Give us a call and let us help you in making the right decision, and giving you all the information you need to keep your teeth and enamel in good shape.
Call (973) 524-7702 today to reach Morristown Family Dental for more preventive dentistry tips.
Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Preventative Dentistry in Morristown, NJ.
Preventive dentistry focuses on the prevention and early detection of oral health concerns to help ensure they do not develop or progress to a more severe stage that is harder to treat. One of the primary goals of preventive dentistry is to help patients care for their teeth between check-up visits, which should include proper…
Preventive dentistry is encouraged for all adults to help them reduce the risk of oral health, functional, or cosmetic concerns developing. However, the benefits of preventive dentistry are more extensive than you may believe. This review discusses the reasons why preventive dentistry is vital for long-term oral health.The benefits of preventive dentistry include the early…
When it comes to brushing your teeth, some people feel missing a random day or two is not a big deal because their teeth are healthy and are not in danger of falling out. Even though it is true that your teeth will not fall out because you failed to clean them occasionally, failure to…
Dental cleaning visits with a general dentist are one of the most important parts of maintaining good oral health. However, many are surprised to learn that overall health also benefits from these quick and simple dental cleaning appointments. When considering whether or not a dental cleaning is worth the time spent in the office chair,…
Dental veneers are a popular way to transform your smile and a common cosmetic dental service offered by general dentists. These thin, shell-like porcelain or composite resin covers go directly over the front of natural teeth after a quick preparation process. Because of their ability to make teeth appear uniform in shape, size, and color…
Your cosmetic dentist can transform your smile by providing tailor-fit treatments. Creating your care plan will depend on your features. Doing so will have more natural results. Here is how your cosmetic dentist tailors specific treatments to your features.Procedures in this field need more than a dentist’s technical skills. The cosmetic dentist must also possess…