How You Can Protect Your Tooth Enamel
Posted on: 26 September 2018
The transparent coating on your teeth is known as tooth enamel, and it can become weak over time. Drinking coffee every morning or consuming other dark beverages can cause the enamel to turn a yellow color that is very unappealing. Acidic foods can also cause damage to the tooth enamel over time. Since any damage caused to tooth enamel will be permanent, you should know how you can better protect your tooth enamel.
Limiting Food Damage
You likely consume many foods each day that will cause damage to tooth enamel. The best thing you could do is limit the problematic foods that you eat or cut them out from your diet. Essentially, any dark or acidic beverage is going to have an effect, especially when consumed daily. While coffee and sodas are big culprits, so are fruit and citrus juices. If the drink contains sugar, it is not good for your tooth enamel. The damage won't be noticeable at first, but small worn-out areas of your tooth enamel will eventually cause big problems with decay. For some beverages, it may be more practical to drink them with a straw so that the beverage does not wash over your tooth enamel.
You should still be brushing twice a day as well, but consider doing it after consuming a beverage that can damage your enamel. For example, instead of brushing your teeth first thing in the morning, brush after your morning cup of coffee.
Using Enamel Restoring Products
You may see products at your local pharmacy that claim to restore tooth enamel. Be aware that these products don't actually restore tooth enamel; they just have minerals that can form a protective layer on your teeth that act like tooth enamel. They are best for people that have very little enamel damage, such as sensitivity or discolored teeth. There is no harm in using these products, so it can be worth giving them a try to see if they help by reducing sensitivity caused by weak enamel. However, once major damage sets in, these products won't do anything to help you.
Using Crowns or Dental Bonding
The only way you can protect a tooth that is missing enamel is to cover it with a new material. A dental crown can be placed on an existing tooth, which is essentially an artificial tooth that sits on top of the old one. Dental bonding material can be applied to a tooth as well to cover the weak surfaces, but the material can chip off the tooth in some situations.
Contact a dentist if you have more questions on protecting your tooth enamel.
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