Dental enamel is the hardest and most mineralized tissue in the human body. It serves as the dental crown's wear-resistant outer layer, forming an insulating barrier protecting the tooth. Dental enamel also provides maximum durability allowing your teeth to function for food processing.
The tooth is constantly under attack from physical, thermal, and chemical forces harmful to the vital tissue in the underlying dental pulp. The impact of damage to the enamel is critical because, unlike bone that the body can repair, the damage is done forever once a tooth is mineralized and chips or breaks. Since enamel has no living cells, the body cannot repair chipped or cracked enamel.
Because the optical properties of enamel are translucent, you can see light through it; developmental defects or environmental influences can be visualized as changes in its opacity and/or color. However, the dentin, the largest section of the tooth, determines the color of your teeth — whether they are white, off-white, grey, or yellowish.
It's not uncommon for staining agents in foods and beverages to stain the enamel. Most surface stains can be removed, and your teeth can remain healthy with regular visits to Cunning Dental for basic teeth cleaning and polishing.
Tooth Enamel Erosion Warnings
With the importance of protecting your teeth, tooth enamel erosion can lead to a range of dental issues. Here are some signs that your enamel may be eroding:
Changes in Color: If your teeth look yellow or especially shiny, you may be experiencing tooth enamel loss.
Sensitivity: Increased sensitivity to hot, cold, or sweet foods may be an early sign of tooth enamel loss.
Cavities (dental caries): Enamel loss is one of the main causes of dental decay.
What Causes Enamel Erosion?
Tooth enamel erosion happens when acids wear away the enamel on teeth. Sugar is a food source for bacteria in your mouth, and the acids they produce can wear away at your tooth enamel. Too many soft drinks high in phosphoric and citric acids can lead to enamel degradation.
Friction, wear and tear, stress, and corrosion can also cause erosion of the tooth surface. If you don’t brush your teeth regularly, your enamel will weaken. So, take it easy on the sugar as dentists have told you many times, don’t grind your teeth, and practice dental hygiene!
How to Restore Tooth Enamel Naturally
As explained previously, preserving enamel is critical because tooth enamel has no living cells, your body cannot repair it, the damage is permanent. You can prevent enamel loss, but there is no natural way to restore it. No vitamins, diet, or drugs will return the protector of your teeth. However, the dental specialists at Cunning Dental Group have procedures to treat enamel loss.
How Can Tooth Enamel Loss Be Treated?
It is important to determine the reason and amount of tooth enamel loss before beginning treatment. Tooth bonding, also known as dental bonding, can be used to protect and improve teeth aesthetics. Your dentist may suggest a crown or veneer if the amount of enamel loss is considerable.
Tooth bonding
Dental bonding is a low-cost yet effective treatment option for various dental problems, including functional and cosmetic ones. It's an aesthetic dentistry operation that fixes a chipped, cracked, fractured tooth or some loss of dental enamel by applying a composite resin. Teeth bonding can also be used to whiten teeth that are yellow or discolored, close gaps between them, or even extend a too short tooth. Dental bonding can also be used as a cosmetic option for amalgam fillings.
The Tooth bonding procedure
To begin, your dentist will utilize a shade chart to choose the resin shade that will most nearly match the tooth's natural color. Before bonding, the tooth's surface is roughened and gently covered with a conditioning liquid to aid in the bonding material's adhesion to the tooth.
After preparing the tooth, your dentist will apply the putty-like resin and mold it to the desired form. The material is then toughened using ultraviolet or laser light. After the resin has hardened, your dentist will apply any necessary finishing touches, such as shaping and polishing the bonding to match the rest of your teeth.
The bonding operation typically takes between 30 minutes and an hour to complete. However, if you have multiple teeth needing bonding, the procedure may need several visits. Because most dental bonding treatments are non-invasive, you can resume your usual daily activities immediately following your session.
Veneers
Dental veneers are tooth-colored shells that are wafer-thin and custom-made to fit over the front surfaces of your teeth. So thin they sit on a tooth without adding bulk. Made with tooth-colored materials like composite resin and porcelain, they will blend in with the rest of your teeth. Veneers can give new colors, shapes, sizes, or lengths to your teeth.
Porcelain and resin composite materials are both options for dental veneers. Veneers made of porcelain are more stain-resistant. They also better imitate real teeth' light-reflective qualities. Veneers are also strong and durable, provided they have not been subjected to excessive stress or strain. Your dentist will help you decide on the best type of veneer material for you.
Crowns
A dental crown is the standard treatment for a damaged tooth that cannot be restored and is cracked, discolored, misshapen, or is too decayed for a filling. After the decay is removed, the crown is placed over the damaged tooth. Cunning Dental Group specializes in Lava crowns. Made with Zirconia, an alternative to porcelain-fused-to-metal restorations. You will have a stunning restoration that returns your tooth to its original look, feel, and function.
Veneers versus crowns - The main difference is that a veneer covers only the front of your tooth and a crown covers the entire tooth.
Sealants
Sealants can help you prevent enamel erosion and tooth decay. Sealants are thin coatings placed on the chewing surfaces of teeth (often the premolars and molars). When applied, the liquid sealant instantly forms a bond with the teeth's depressions and grooves, protecting each tooth's enamel from further damage and decay.
It's possible to remove food and plaque off teeth's flat surfaces by brushing and flossing thoroughly, but it doesn't mean you're getting everything. Dental sealants shield these weak spots from deterioration by keeping plaque and food particles out.
Smile again
If you are looking for a Los Angeles dentist, Cunning Dental Group dental specialists serve the Los Angeles metro area and all of Southern California from our offices in Montclair and Irvine. We know how to restore tooth enamel and do almost any dental treatment or dental surgery all in one place.Contact us today. Call (855) 328-6646!
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