Your teeth are exposed to daily attacks from acidic food components. Teeth that are sensitive to heat or cold and discoloration are the result. Find out here how you can protect your body’s protective coat, your tooth enamel, and thus prevent various ailments.
What is tooth enamel?
Tooth enamel is a mixture of calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and magnesium and is the hardest substance in the body. It covers the dentin as a thin outer layer of all teeth. Despite this hardness, the tooth enamel comprises dead cells of the body and no longer contains any nerve tissue.
Why is the protective cover so important for your dental health?
Teeth are at the mercy of acidic foods every day. But your saliva, with its contained enzymes, neutralizes the pH value and protects your teeth and tooth enamel. However, the saliva needs about 30 minutes of neutralization time after ingesting acidic food. If this is not the case, there will be shifts in the pH value of the mouth, which can result in degradation of the tooth enamel.
Losing tooth enamel is a permanent consequence and can no longer be repaired naturally by the body.
Symptoms: This is how enamel breakdown is noticeable
The degradation often manifests itself through
- Cracks,
- Splinter,
- Notches,
- Obvious discoloration
- or temperature sensitivity in and on the teeth.
Your tooth enamel gives your teeth their natural white. If the enamel content drops, the yellowish dentine comes to the fore.
The causes: what causes tooth enamel to decline?
Tooth enamel degradation is favored by many things:
- Drinks with a high acid content (citrus, soda)
- Disorders with acidic gastric juice reflux (heartburn or stomach burn)
- Too much wear and tear on your teeth (grinding, clenching, brushing too hard)
- Bleaching toothpaste (high RDA values)
- Medicines, such as aspirin
If you have illnesses such as heartburn or long-term use of aspirin, your dentist may recommend other medications to better protect your teeth.
How can you keep natural tooth enamel for as long as possible?
Protect your teeth by minimizing the triggering factors and brushing your teeth twice a day with a toothpaste containing fluoride (1500ppm fluoride) with low abrasion values (RDA <50).
The fluoride temporarily replenishes the defective tooth enamel. The teeth become less susceptible to acid and bacteria.
Onetime brushing with a pea-sized amount of high – does fluoride toothpaste per week has also been proven to protect against acid attacks. It counteracts caries.
Also, do not brush your teeth 30 minutes before or after consuming acidic products, so that your saliva has enough time to regulate the pH of your mouth.