In our years of practice, our Glendale dentists have found that the more our patients learn about the basic principles of oral health, the better equipped they are to manage their smiles and make healthy dental decisions. With that in mind, our dental team has put together this short overview of an especially important component of your teeth: your dental enamel.
The dental enamel is the outermost layer of a tooth—below it sits the dentin and dental pulp. When dental enamel is healthy, it is white, luminous, and minimally porous. However, as time goes on, enamel can change in both appearance and structure.
One common issue is that dental enamel thins over time. Your enamel is therefore less effective when it comes to protecting the inner tooth.
Enamel can become thinner for a number of different reasons:
- Sugary and acidic substances temporarily soften enamel, and leave it susceptible to damage
- Bruxism, or chronic dental grinding, puts too much pressure on the enamel and causes it to break down
- Harmful habits, like chewing on hard candies or ice, create micro-cracks and chips in the tooth surface, which expand over time
In order to protect your smile, it is vital that you take some simple steps to keep your enamel strong and healthy. Seek prompt treatment for bruxism, and refrain from chomping on hard and abrasive substances.
You also want to make sure that you follow of your dentist’s instructions when it comes to caring for your smile. Brushing and flossing as recommended minimizes damage to your smile due to sugar, acid, and bacteria.
Our Glendale dentists are here to help you craft an effective and straightforward oral health care plan to protect your smile for years to come. The best way to get started is to contact our dental team by giving us a call or submitting an inquiry through our Contact Us page.