When it comes to maintaining your dental health, nothing is more important than preventing enamel erosion. Once your enamel is gone, your teeth are essentially doomed, and you will need extreme dental procedures to regain your smile. You can prevent this enamel loss from happening if you practice a few simple precautions.

Causes/Prevention

As you age, you will lose some enamel due to normal wear and tear. You will speed up this process by eating too many sweets and consuming too many acid-laden foods or drinks. You may love orange juice and pancakes for breakfast, but you teeth surely do not. You can prevent damage from eating and drinking by cleaning your mouth regularly. Between brushings, you should rinse your mouth with water to eliminate acid buildup. Also, simply drinking water during the day helps with this process, particularly for people with dry mouth. If you do not produce enough saliva, these harmful substances stay on your teeth and work away at the enamel. Brushing too hard and grinding your teeth are other enamel-damaging habits that you need to eliminate.

Symptoms

Your enamel may be lacking if your teeth are particularly sensitive to heat, cold, and sweets. Your teeth may also look stained or otherwise discolored. They may display dents and look round and dented. You will need to see your dentist to confirm whether missing enamel is a problem for you.

Strengthening

Enamel does not regenerate, so once it is lost, you will likely need dental procedures such as bonding or crowns to repair your smile. You can take measures to strengthen your enamel by brushing with toothpaste that contains fluoride. Chewing gum is also an excellent way to get more saliva in your mouth, which adds enamel-strengthening calcium and phosphate to your teeth in addition to rinsing away harmful acids. Be sure to chew sugarless gum for twenty minutes after meals to protect your teeth. Eating a nutritious diet is also a good way to add strength to your teeth.

Enamel loss is permanent, so you need to take precautions to protect it now rather than later. Watch what you consume each day and make sure that no substance stays on your teeth for an extended period of time. Look for dental products that work to strengthen your enamel, and keep up a good dental routine. A few precautions can make all the difference in your smile.

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