You have started to notice how brittle and discolored your teeth have become. You may not have dental insurance (like many of us), but you will need to find a way to improve the condition of your teeth.
You are wondering—should I know how to restore tooth enamel?
While going to the dentist will be the ultimate step in restoring your smile to its original luster, there are a few things you may be able to do at home.
Keep reading to discover a quick guide on how to bring your smile and your confidence back. You deserve to feel and look your best.
Table of Contents
How to Prevent Tooth Enamel Erosion
Enamel makes up the tooth’s thin outer lining. This durable shell is the human body’s toughest substance. Enamel protects the crown, the portion of the tooth that is visible on the surface of the mouth.
Since enamel is transparent, the light will pass through it. However, the dentist is the main substance that makes up our teeth, is responsible for their color.
Coffee, tea, soft drinks, and nicotine will all stain your surface-level tooth enamel. Routine brushing and polishing at your dentist’s office will get your teeth nice and clean and will help to keep your teeth protected.
The enamel coating on your teeth helps protect from breaking and cracking.
A broken bone can be repaired by the body but, once it is damaged, the problems cannot be reversed. Because enamel is not comprised of living cells, the body cannot repair chips or cracks.
It is very important to preserve your tooth enamel as it directly effects the strength and durability of your teeth. The less enamel that occurs in your teeth naturally, the more they will break and become weak and damaged.
When enamel is weak or non-existent it is easy for the teeth to break down even further.
How to Restore Tooth Enamel Naturally
Saliva is essential for keeping teeth safe and solid. Saliva not only improves the protection of body tissues, but it also preserves enamel by bathing the teeth with calcium and other minerals. Saliva also dilutes erosive agents like ammonia, prevents waste from the mouth, and increases defensive substances that help against bacteria and disease in the mouth.
Many of these diseases are accelerated by plaque on the gums and around the teeth.
Sometimes the bacteria in plaque changes food starches into acids. When this happens, the acids in plaque start to eat away at the healthy minerals in the tooth enamel. This causes the enamel to wear down and become pitted. Over time, the pits in the enamel increase and grow in size.
There are immediate steps you can take to reduce your tooth enamel errossion including:
- Reduce the intake of heavily acidic foods and beverages, such as carbonated sodas, lemons, and other citrus fruits and juices
- Immediately rinse your mouth with clean water after eating or drinking
- When drinking acidic beverages, use a straw. The straw directs liquid to the back of your mouth, away from your teeth.
- Keep an eye on the treats as snacking during the day increases the likelihood of tooth decay
- Chew sugar-free gum in between meals
- Ask your dentist if sealants are a good option for you
- Stay Hydrated
Restoring Tooth Enamel May Require Professional Help
While you can take some steps to prevent permanent damage to your enamel, remember it is best to contact a dentist if your have bleeding gums, badly chipping teeth, or obvious signs of worn enamel.
Your dentist will likely prescribe a toothpaste or mouth wash with fluoride. This is wonderful to help repair your damaged enamel.
However, It is possible to consume too much fluoride for your body to process. Although fluoride is beneficial in preventing tooth decay, too much fluoride can lead to issues such as enamel fluorosis.
This disease, which produces defects in the enamel of the teeth, will occur in infants and can even damage their immune system.
It is best to follow your dentist’s guidelines closely and not go over the recommended use of fluoride.
Children with enamel fluorosis may have taken too much fluoride in the form of vitamins, or they may have taken fluoride supplements in addition to drinking fluoridated water. Additionally, swallowing fluoride toothpaste raises the risk of enamel fluorosis.
The majority of children with enamel fluorosis have minor cases that are not cause for concern. However, in rare situations, the teeth become discolored, pitted, and painful to clean. Make sure you keep up with your child’s regular dentist visits.
You are on the hunt for a professional to enlist for help. You have tried many different things, but ultimately, it is best to get a dentist’s advice for weak tooth enamel. You are searching and asking; where to fix my teeth?
Causes and Fixes for Your Tooth Enamel
You now know the importance of a properly maintained mouth, especially for the sake of your tooth enamel. Enamel is the strong substance that coats teeth, but our bodies only produce it once and cannot be regenerated.
It is crucial that we take care of our mouths because they affect our whole bodies. You only get one set of teeth, so take care of them. How to restore tooth enamel is a much more complicated task than you’d think.
Visit your dentist regularly for mouth maintenance and while your at it check out our blog for more tips to keep yourself healthy.