Re-Strengthen Your Tooth Enamel: 5 Tips

Want to see the hardest substance in your entire body? Go smile in front of a mirror – behold, your tooth enamel! 

Each of your teeth is surrounded by a mineral shell comprised of 95% calcium-phosphorous crystals, which are approximately as hard as steel. This enamel is essential to protecting the tooth against chemical, thermal and physical forces that would otherwise damage the sensitive underlying dental pulp.

Tooth Enamel Gets Damaged Over Time

As hard as it is, tooth enamel is not impervious to damage – and once it’s worn down, the tooth it once protected becomes far more vulnerable to cavities and decay.

What damages tooth enamel, exactly? Here are a few of the usual suspects:

• Sugar. Glucose. Fructose. Sucrose. All forms of sugar nourish bacteria that naturally occur in the mouth. This wouldn’t be a problem if many of those bacteria didn’t also secrete acid which is powerful enough to dissolve enamel.
• Sour foods. Bacteria aren’t the only sources of acid which can damage enamel. Sour foods and beverages owe their distinctive twang to acetic, citric, malic and fumaric acids – any of which can have a pH that is low enough to wear away a tooth’s armor.
• Dry mouth. Saliva serves many purposes, including killing bacteria with natural antimicrobial agents. If you have dry mouth, then your teeth don’t receive enough of this protection against enamel dissolution.
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Normal stomach acid can have a pH as low as 1.5, making it even more acidic than white vinegar – a substance so corrosive that it can dissolve a tooth entirely during a period of prolonged exposure. If you have a health condition which forces stomach acid into your mouth, then you don’t have to imagine what it can do to your teeth.
• Teeth grinding. Do you gnash, clench or grind your teeth in your sleep? This condition, known as bruxism, can mechanically wear tooth enamel away via prolonged friction and stress.

How Can You Strengthen Your Tooth Enamel?

If your teeth are painful, discolored, sensitive to heat and cold, rough around the edges, or exhibiting cup-shaped indentations on their surface, then you may already have weakened enamel. 

But don’t despair! You can take several steps to start strengthening your tooth enamel. Here are five tips to get you started:

1. Wait to brush after consuming acidic food or beverages. Flossing and brushing twice daily is a great habit, but take care if you choose to brush more frequently. Brushing your teeth immediately after meals is usually helpful – but not after you have just consumed something acidic. Brushing can rub residual acid even deeper into enamel, which only exacerbates its harmful effect. Instead of brushing right away, rinse your mouth out with water and then brush around 30 minutes later. That gives your saliva time to perform its important job!
2. Brush gently. You might think that brushing your teeth harder is better for them. In fact, vigorous brushing can be abrasive enough to damage tooth enamel. Hard-bristle toothbrushes are similarly damaging to enamel, which is why the American Dental Association recommends soft bristles only.
3. Avoid foods and beverages that damage enamel. Soda. Sour candies. Acidic fruits and their juices. In addition to containing acid that is powerful enough to damage tooth enamel, these foods and beverages contain high concentrations of sugar which acidiferous bacteria love to eat. If you’re one of the 48% of Americans who drink at least one soda per day, then it’s never too late to switch over to a teeth-friendly beverage.
4. Use fluoride-based mouthwash or toothpaste. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral which makes tooth enamel less vulnerable to the corrosive effects of acid. It’s like added protection for an already protective substance. In addition to remineralizing tooth enamel, fluoride-based mouthwashes and toothpastes can reverse early tooth decay and reduce the risk of future cavities by 25%.
5. Seek medical help for conditions which damage enamel. Are you currently managing a case of GERD? If you haven’t yet, consider seeking care from a gastroenterologist who can help reduce your condition’s symptoms. Likewise, if you believe you suffer from bruxism, ask your dentist about treatment options.

Do you want to do everything you’re able to keep your teeth healthy? Contact All About Teeth today to schedule a teeth cleaning at our dental clinic in Logan, UT! Regular cleanings help protect existing enamel, and Dr. Corey Hogge will be happy to explain what else you can do to keep your teeth strong.