Almost everyone understands the importance behind brushing your teeth and the role tooth enamel plays in 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 cannot correctly 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 (415) 493-9143 today to reach Aesthetic Dentistry of Noe Valley.
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