The outermost layer of your teeth is called enamel. Enamel covers the surface of your teeth like a protective clear coat.
The developing enamel varies from light yellow to a grey white colour. It contains many minerals including calcium and phosphate. The enamel does not contain any nerves or blood vessels. Because the enamel is tough and sturdy, your teeth can stand up to years of chewing and biting forces without breaking down or wearing off.
Enamel is important because it helps to prevent decay and protect your teeth from everyday wear that comes from chewing and brushing. Brushing with fluoride toothpaste can help protect your enamel from enamel erosion.
Plaque, which contains bad bacteria, doesn't stick to enamel as well as to other parts of your teeth. If plaque bacteria isn't brushed away through regular cleaning, the food particles on the enamel surface will harden into tartar (also called calculus) or form dental plaque, which leads to periodontal and gum disease-the leading cause of a tooth cavity or enamel erosion in adults.The plaque bacteria is caused by certain hot or cold foods like fruit drinks, carbonated sodas, etc which contains excess sugar and acids.
Over time, teeth enamel wears down and become shorter as the enamel come in contact with more forces than the enamel was meant to handle. To help prevent this from happening, small amounts of minerals are lost across the surface of your teeth enamel each day through a process called demineralisation. Acidic foods and drinks, such as certain candies, sports drinks, citrus fruits can increase how quickly your teeth lose bodily fluids and contribute to weakened enamel and result in enamel loss. Once minerals have been lost from tooth surface due to acid erosion or other factors explained below, you cannot get them back. Without these important minerals protecting your teeth from everyday wear, once the tooth enamel begins to erode. In extreme cases where good oral hygiene is not maintained, tooth enamel loss can cause teeth to become unstable and possibly lead to damaged tooth enamel. Using products which contain fluoride can help prevent further decay and reduce enamel erosion.
While tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the body, it can be worn down or damaged. Tooth surface that are not cared for properly are more prone to enamel loss. Binge drinking of various acidic drinks like fruit drinks, soft drinks and certain foods such as candies, chewing gum, sugar-free gum, etc can dissolve minerals from tooth enamel.
Once these minerals have been dissolved by acid attack or other factors explained below, they cannot be replaced! Without these important minerals protecting your enamel from everyday wear, once healthy tooth enamel structure begins to erode. In extreme cases where proper oral health is not maintained, tooth enamel loss can cause teeth to become unstable and possibly lead to tooth removal.Tooth enamel erosion may occur even when brushing but is mostly not related to brushing habits. It occurs mainly due to acid buildup from tooth decay and cavities, which produce acid as an effect of bacterial breakdown. In reality, tooth decay is a secondary problem to the overconsumption of acidic food and drinks that erode enamel directly.
S some medications such as antacids, anti-inflammatories and antibiotics may be highly acidic and can damage enamel if frequently taken without water or milk. Never hold antacids in your mouth to dissolve. Infection of the gum line, which can cause an inflammatory response in the body. Treatment of gum line inflammation requires antibiotics in most cases to kill infection-causing bad bacteria in the mouth. The problem is that in addition to killing infectious bacteria, antibiotics also kill off healthy flora (beneficial bacteria) in the oral environment. This results in increased levels of acidity and de-mineralisation due to elevated levels of stomach acid production by bacteria often present after taking antibiotics .
Certain health conditions may respond with high amounts of acid reflux substances when stressed or sick such as diabetes or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In this acid reflux disease, the stomach acid reach the mouth and can cause enamel erosion. These stomach acids may be produced within the body itself when stress hormones are increased during times of mental stress.
Symptoms may vary depending on how much tooth enamel has been lost. You could have one or more of the following tooth decay symptoms.
Your teeth have increased sensitivity to heat, cold, sweets, or any other sensation-especially when eating acidic foods and drinks.
Your teeth look longer because they are now exposed where the tooth enamel has worn away.
You may notice sensitive teeth begin to look more yellow or grey than white, especially because now there is no enamel protecting them from staining.
While the outer layer of teeth has no living cells and cannot regrow, there is hope for repairing damage to tooth enamel.
Unfortunately, tooth enamel loss is irreversible, however, there are options for repairing decayed or damaged tooth structure by removing the dental decay and replacing it with a filling material that looks natural. A dentist fills the cavities with composite resin fillings in most cases, which are aesthetically more natural-looking than silver amalgam.
Tooth bonding is another form of cosmetic procedure which can be done in case of teeth discolouration from enamel erosion. A dental professional can also apply veneers to the damaged teeth.You cannot control genetics or stress levels in life but there are many things that you can do to prevent enamel loss and keep your teeth healthy for years to come. As fluoride strengthens teeth, any food and drink with fluoride will help to promote saliva production and strengthen the teeth. Proper hydration (drinking fluoridated water), limiting certain foods and drinks, using fluoride-containing products such as fluoride toothpaste and fluoride mouthwash, proper dental health (brushing with soft bristled toothbrush at least twice daily) and regular check-ups (from dentist who provide medical advice) is all it takes to keep your pearly whites healthy for many years to come.