The enamel is a strong outermost protective layer of the teeth, essential for dental restoration. It shields the softer inner layers of the teeth from the foods we eat and harmful microorganisms present in the mouth. A healthy tooth enamel, maintained with fluoride toothpaste and a good toothbrush, is always white and strong. Due to its hard nature, the enamel plays an important role in our mouth, especially when biting and chewing food and for the application of veneers.
Well, your teeth enamel is very strong but that doesn’t mean that it can withstand constant acid attacks. The worst part is that dental restoration, it does not have regenerative cells. Once it’s destroyed it can never grow back again. The good news is that there are available techniques that you can try to fix the problem. It’s possible that you can strengthen your teeth enamel with remineralization to avoid further erosion and demineralization. Using fluoride toothpaste can also help repair your teeth enamel.
Maintaining healthy oral hygiene and incorporating lifestyle changes can aid in the remineralization process and help restore dental enamel. However, I am not here to lecture on the specifics of tooth enamel. Instead, I want to share effective methods for dental restoration. But before we delve into that, let’s briefly discuss enamel erosion and the importance of using fluoride toothpaste.
Tooth Enamel Erosion
If you start to notice extreme teeth sensitivity when you eat cold or hot foods, then your teeth enamel might have eroded. Yellowing of your teeth is also a common sign that your white teeth enamel is going off. There are many factors that can cause demineralization of your teeth enamel. Poor oral hygiene, genetics, certain medications and excessive consumption of acidic foods and caffeinated beverages can all lead to tooth erosion. It’s important to maintain good oral hygiene to keep your mouth healthy and promote remineralization with the help of saliva.
The best step to treat tooth erosion is to identify the underlying cause first before taking actions. If your oral hygiene is questionable, you will need to make everything right. If you started experiencing enamel erosion after you started on new medications, you should contact your doctor. Medications such as aspirin and antihistamines can contribute to enamel erosion. (1)
How To Restore Your Tooth Enamel
Since you can’t make your worn out enamel to regrow again, but there are techniques to strengthen and repair your oral health. Most of these techniques involves few lifestyle changes and consistency. Here are some of ways to strengthen and protect your tooth enamel and keep your mouth healthy. This techniques have worked for many and I also believe that they can work for you too.
1. Use fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash: fluoride is a popular ingredient in oral care products. Many toothpastes and mouthwash available in the market contains flouride. This is because of its ability to protect your teeth from demineralization caused by erosive acids. Flouride creates a protective layer on your teeth, making your teeth to be more resistant to acids erosion. Brushing or rinsing your teeth at least twice every day with fluoridated products can help to restore your tooth enamel. Flouride is used widely in dentistry for reversing tooth decay and for preventing cavities. There are so many oral care fluoride products available in the market today, but not all of them are healthy.
Each fluoridated tooth product is meant to contain a specified maximum amount of fluoride to prevent tooth damage and mineral loss. However, too much fluoride can lead to more serious problems, such as enamel fluorosis. So, before using any fluoridated product for your enamel erosion, it is important to talk to your dentist first. They can help you find the good ones, like pronamel.
2. Take calcium and vitamins: enamel erosion as a result of nutritional deficiency is very common. Most people suffer from enamel erosion due to the fact that their teeth are not getting enough required nutrients. Calcium and vitamins can be gotten from some of the foods that we eat. They help to promote healthy bone growth and can also remineralize your teeth.
Bone broth, cultured butter, coconut oil and diary products may help to naturally repair and remineralize your teeth. They promote enamel strength, making the teeth more resistant to erosive agents and damage. So, you should try consuming foods and fruits that are rich in vitamins and calcium for tooth health. Alternatively, suitable supplements for vitamins and calcium can also be beneficial for tooth repair. Remember, having enough of these nutrients in your body can protect and strengthen your teeth enamel with products like pronamel.
3. Request for dental sealants: depending on how deep your enamel have eroded. Dental sealants is very effective for preventing enamel wear and tear, if your teeth are eroding due to teeth grinding. Apart from the protection against teeth grinding, dental sealants can also protect your teeth from acid attacks and tooth decay. Sealants are used to cover up the affected parts of your teeth, especially on the molars and premolars. Alternatively, you can consider going for dental fillings. There are numerous materials for dental fillings, it can be gold, silver amalgam, glass Ionomer or composite.
Since cavities can contribute to severe tooth erosion, you can use dental fillings to prevent this. You should contact your dentist, he can explain better about dental sealants and fillings. But these two offers strong protection and strength to the teeth. You can refer to my previous post on dental filling to learn more.
4. Restorative Dental treatments: there are different tooth restoration procedures that you can select from. Depending on how deep and severe the erosion is, your dentist will always know the best suitable action to take. Restorative dentistry involves covering of eroded, cracked, broken or chipped teeth in order prevent further erosion or decay. Dental crowns and fillings are some examples of these restoration treatments. Crowns is used to cover the affected areas completely, in order to restore the original shape and structure of your teeth.
What’s Next?
I have so many friends who had cases of tooth erosion and damage at some time ago. For the purpose of this article, I promised to reveal to you the working remedy for tooth erosion and damage. The four methods I mentioned on this article is what most of these my friends used to repair and protect their teeth enamel against erosion and damage. I believe that these methods can also be of great benefit to you in preventing tooth erosion and damage.
While taking dental restorative treatments, it’s advisable that you should avoid anything that can cause tooth damage. You should try to be cautious of the foods and drinks that can erode your teeth. Sugary or acidic foods and drinks can contribute greatly to the buildup of acids and enamel erosion. Moderation is key, so limit your consumption of soft drinks, sweets, citrus fruits, candies, wine, and tobacco to prevent tooth damage.
You can even restore your tooth enamel naturally by eating healthy and properly balanced diets. Just like I said earlier, foods and fruits that are rich in vitamins and calcium can help to strengthen and protect your teeth. One more thing, always ensure that you get enough flouride every day. Brushing and flossing regularly with fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash are good source of fluoride. However, most people don’t get to notice that tap water is a great source of healthy fluoride. Natural occurring fluoride from water is powerful for preventing cavities and tooth erosion.
Moreover, if you grind or clench your teeth, you should let your dentist know about that. Even after restoration treatments, teeth grinding can wear restorations, cause sensitivity and more damages to your teeth. You might need to start using mouth guards. You can learn how to stop teeth grinding.