Unless you are some sort of super human, it is likely that you will succumb to the sweeter side of life at some point. Candy, sugary drinks and other treats are delicious, but they can really do a number on one’s teeth. In this article, we will talk about how to strengthen enamel to keep your teeth healthy. We will also talk about lifestyle changes to make and ways to avoid ruining your enamel any further than it has been already.
How to Strengthen Enamel and Prevent Damage
If you have weak or sensitive teeth enamel, you may want to consider some lifestyle changes, in addition to treatments. In these sections, we will suggest some of the more important things you can to do strengthen and maintain your teeth enamel.
Choose Your Toothpaste Carefully
It is important that you choose your toothpaste wisely. You will need a brand that uses fluoride primarily; not all toothpastes come with this contrary to what you might believe. Fluoride can help rebuild your enamel that has become weak or thin. It can even reverse the early warning signs of tooth decay.
If you can find toothpastes that have phosphate, dissolved calcium, sodium chloride and fluoride, you will be doing even better. Studies show that these compounds can help to stop the dissipation of tooth decay. It can increase the hardness of the decay by 12 percent, in fact.
Avoid Sugar and Starch
With sugar and starch, you are consuming foods and drinks that will produce particles which will cling to your teeth. This includes items like sugar, ice cream, honey, milk, cake, soda, dried fruit, breath mints, hard candy, cereal and chips. These foods are more likely to cause tooth decay than other food and drinks that are easier to be washed away by saliva.
Anything high in starch or sugar can cause harm since it creates enamel-attacking bacteria on your teeth. This causes the production of acid which weakens the enamel, causes sensitivity and discoloration.
Improve Your Nutrition
If you eat better food, you can help your body work from the inside out. Eating fortifying food like yogurt, milk, cheese and kefir have plenty of phosphorous and calcium. These are compounds that can strengthen your enamel and remineralize it as well. They also promote the production of saliva to help further decrease the risk of bacteria forming. It also helps to balance your mouth’s pH on top of it.
Strawberries, for instance, are full of antioxidants and vitamin C which is great for oral health; they even have whitening properties thanks to their natural availability of malic acid. This acid also removes tartar from the enamel.
Chew Sugar-Free Gum
It is good to chew gum. The American Dental Association states that chewing gum helps to stimulate saliva in your mouth. If you chew gum after each meal, you will create additional saliva. This saliva will bring more strength to the enamel through calcium and phosphate. It can help to stop any acid that is produced in your mouth.
Getting rid of this acid is important because it can easily wear at your delicate tooth enamel. Research has also shown that chewing sugarless gum for 15 or 20 minutes after you eat can help stop tooth decay. You want gum that says it is for remineralizing teeth specifically.
Brush Your Teeth Correctly
It is important that you are actually brushing your teeth in the way that you are supposed to. It is recommended that you brush your teeth twice every day. This is especially true if you have just eaten food that can harm the enamel. Use a brush that has soft bristles and replace that brush every few months; this is because it can accumulate bacteria and other harmful compounds.
It is also important to use the right technique. This means keeping the toothbrush angled 45 degrees toward your gums. Use wide, short back and forth movements to get on all sides of the tooth. You cannot forget to brush your tongue, either; this removes bacteria that can make your breath smell bad.
While many people forget to floss, it is important that you do not forget to floss. Flossing gets food, plaque and bacteria from between your teeth. Bacteria rests in the places of your teeth and gums that a toothbrush or mouthwash alone cannot get to.
Stop Grinding
If you grind your teeth, which is a condition that is known as bruxism, you can wear down your teeth. This does not only include grinding motions but it includes clenching and gnashing your teeth unintentionally. This can happen either day or night. Your teeth can become cracked, fractured, flattened or chipped when you do this.
If you are aware that you have a problem with grinding or clenching your teeth, it is important that you talk to your dentist. They will have a solution in the form of a tooth guard that can help you stop this bad habit.
Treat Gastrointestinal Issues
Gastrointestinal issues do more to your body than cause gas pains or indigestion. They can also be integrated with other parts of the body, even in ways that you do not expect at all. For instance, if you have severe heartburn, you may notice that sometimes that acid gets in your mouth. When this happens, that stomach acid can get into your teeth and damage them considerably.
GI issues like heartburn are not only painful; they can harm your oral health and teeth as well. For this reason, it is important that you go see a doctor about these problems. Your doctor will be able to help treat this issue to save your teeth.
Conclusion
There are a number of ways to save your tooth’s enamel. After all, what they say is true: once you have completely lost your tooth enamel, there is no getting it back. You can reverse early signs of this, but you can’t once it is gone completely.
In this article, we have discussed several ways for you to learn how to strengthen enamel. Do you have any tricks up your sleeve that we have neglected to mention? Tell us all about them and help our readers in the comments below. Leave your questions, comments or general thoughts.
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