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How To Protect Tooth Enamel

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How To Protect Tooth Enamel

Introduction:

We have compiled this article on “How To Protect Tooth Enamel”. The reference links are at the bottom of the article.

[1]The surface of your teeth is called enamel. It helps protect them from decay. Some wear and tear is normal, but there’s plenty you can do to keep that barrier strong. Take these simple steps for a healthy mouth and a winning smile.

1. Limit Sugary Foods And Drinks

Bacteria in your mouth feed on sugar from foods and drinks. Then they make acids, which soften and wear away your enamel. Chewy candies that stick to your teeth can also cause damage. Soft drinks may have extra acids.

Soft drinks with artificial sweeteners are a smarter choice than ones with sugar, but they’re also acidic and will wear down enamel over time.

The best choice when you’re thirsty? A glass of plain water. Many flavored drinks of water are acidic.

2. Eat Foods That Protect Enamel

Calcium in food counters acids in your mouth that cause decay. It also helps keep your bones and teeth strong.

Milk, cheese, and other dairy products help protect and strengthen enamel, says Pamela L. Quinones, past president of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association. Choose low-fat or fat-free items to help keep calories down.

If you don’t eat dairy, look for foods with calcium added.

3. Avoid Over-Brushing

You can wear down your enamel if you brush too fast and hard. Hold a brush with a soft bristle at about a 45-degree angle to your gums. Then move it back and forth in short, gentle strokes, about the distance of one tooth.

Wait for up to an hour after eating sweets or citrus fruits before you brush your teeth. Acidic foods can soften enamel and may make it easier for you to damage it.

4. Use Fluoride

The American Dental Association (ADA) calls fluoride “nature’s cavity fighter” because it strengthens your enamel and helps repair the early stages of tooth decay. Fluoride also makes your teeth more resistant to acids that come from foods and from bacteria in your mouth.

The ADA recommends fluoride toothpaste as soon as the first tooth appears and throughout your life. Rinsing with a mouthwash that has fluoride can also help prevent cavities and keep your enamel strong.

5. Treat Heartburn And Eating Disorders

If you have severe heartburn, stomach acids may escape and eventually reach your mouth, where they can erode enamel. The eating disorder bulimia, in which people vomit food after they eat, is another threat to your enamel.

If you have either condition, talk to your doctor about treatment.

6. Beware Of Chlorinated Pools

When swimming pools aren’t chlorinated properly, the water may become too acidic. When that happens, the water can damage teeth that get wet.

Check with the recreation center or gym where you swim to make sure the pool’s chlorine levels are checked regularly. While swimming, keep your mouth closed so your teeth don’t get wet.

7. Watch Out For Dry Mouth

Saliva helps wash away food and bacteria that can lead to cavities. It also fights the effects of acidic foods. Drink water often to keep your mouth clean and moist.

If you exercise hard, be sure to rehydrate during and after your workout. Chewing sugarless gum or sucking on sugarless hard candy can also help keep saliva flowing in your mouth.

Some medical conditions and medications can cause dry mouth. Talk to your doctor about treatments.

8. Avoid Grinding Your Teeth

Some people grind their upper and lower teeth together, especially at night. Over time it can wear down the enamel.

Talk to your dentist if you’ve got the grinding habit. They may suggest a custom-fitted mouth guard that can protect your teeth.

7 Daily Ways To Protect Your Teeth

Some say the eyes are the window to the soul. But if you really want to know what someone’s about, check their smile. A welcoming show of pearly whites makes a great first impression, while a tight-lipped smile or whiff of bad breath does the opposite.

  • Brush Two Times A Day For Two Minutes

    Brush your teeth for two minutes, twice a day, says the American Dental Association (ADA). This will keep your teeth in top form. Brushing your teeth and tongue with a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste cleans food and bacteria from your mouth. Brushing also washes out particles that eat away at your teeth and cause cavities.

  • A Morning Brush Fights Morning Breath

    The mouth is 98.6ºF (37ºC). Warm and wet, it’s filled with food particles and bacteria. These lead to deposits called plaque. When it builds up, it calcifies, or hardens, on your teeth to form tartar, also called calculus. Not only does tartar irritate your gums, it can lead to gum disease as well as cause bad breath. Be sure to brush in the morning to help get rid of the plaque that’s built up overnight.

  • Don’t Overbrush

    If you brush more than twice a day, for longer than four minutes total, you could wear down the enamel layer that protects your teeth.

    When tooth enamel isn’t there, it exposes a layer of dentin. Dentin has tiny holes that lead to nerve endings. When these are triggered, you might feel all sorts of pain. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 20 percentTrusted Source of American adults have experienced pain and sensitivity in their teeth.

  • Don’t Turbocharge

    It’s also possible to brush too hard. Brush your teeth like you’re polishing an eggshell. If your toothbrush looks like someone sat on it, you’re applying too much pressure.

    Enamel is strong enough to protect teeth from everything that goes on inside your mouth, from eating and drinking to beginning the digestive process. Children and teens have softer enamel than adults, leaving their teeth more prone to cavities and erosion from food and drink.

  • Make Sure You Floss Every Day

    Want to avoid minimal scraping at your next checkup? Flossing loosens the particles that brushing misses. It also removes plaque, and in so doing prevents the buildup of tartar. While it’s easy to brush plaque away, you need a dentist to remove tartar.

  • It Doesn’t Matter When You Do It

    You finally have an answer to the age-old question: “Which comes first, flossing or brushing?” It doesn’t matter, according to the ADA, as long as you do it every day.

  • Stay Away From Soda

    Sip All Day, Get Decay” is a campaign from the Minnesota Dental Association to warn people of the dangers of soft drinks. It’s not just sugar soda, but diet soda, too, that harms teeth. The acid in soda attacks teeth. Once acid eats away at the enamel, it goes on to create cavities, leaves stains on the tooth surface, and erodes the inside structure of the tooth. To avoid drinking-related tooth decay, limit soft drinks and take good care of your teeth.

Conclusion:

Thank you for reading this article, and check back frequently for other dental health articles. Should you have any questions, please contact Apple Tree Dental today!

Article compiled by Apple Tree Dental

Article reference links

  1. https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/features/tooth-enamel-damage ↑

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How To Protect Tooth Enamel
How To Protect Tooth Enamel
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Soothing Sensitive Teeth from Summertime Sweets

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Soothing Sensitive Teeth from Summertime Sweets

Introduction:

Sensitive teeth increase discomfort and people would not be able to behave properly. Using some smart tips you can minimize the discomfort.

We’ve put together this content that explains Soothing Sensitive Teeth from Summertime Sweets. Be aware and take care of your teeth.

[1]For many people, warmer weather means ice cream, Popsicles, and plenty of cold drinks. For people who have sensitive teeth, however, it’s not so easy to indulge in traditional summertime sweets. If you suffer from tooth sensitivity, here’s how you can ease your discomfort.

Understanding The Cause

According to the Journal of the American Dental Association, one in eight adults suffers from some form of tooth sensitivity. Most of the time, this stems from cavities, worn enamel, receding gums or decaying dental work. Discomfort tends to amplify when affected areas come into contact with hot or cold foods and beverages. In turn, many people are forced to avoid some of their favorite indulgences, because they simply cannot tolerate the pain.

Getting Relief

If you suffer from tooth sensitivity, there are a few things you can do to reduce discomfort, including:

  • Strengthen enamel by brushing daily with fluoride-enriched toothpaste.
  • Avoid acidic foods and drinks, which can exacerbate pain and wear down tooth enamel.
  • Avoid smoking or chewing tobacco, which also contributes to tooth sensitivity.
  • Use a soft-bristled toothbrush, which is less abrasive than hard-bristled brushes.
  • Avoid over-the-counter whitening agents, which can thin tooth enamel.

According to the American Dental Association, desensitizing toothpaste can also help reduce discomfort because they contain compounds that block sensation traveling from the tooth surface to the nerve. If desensitizing toothpaste prove ineffective, dentists generally recommend in-office treatments involving fluoride gels or special desensitizing agents. If this proves ineffective, fillings, crowns, inlays or bondings may be needed to treat decay or correct other underlying causes. In some cases, people require surgical gum grafts to replace lost gum tissue, protect the root and reduce sensitivity.

[2]Ways To Soothe Your Sensitive Teeth From Summer Sweets

Having sensitive teeth is something that occurs very often, especially during the summertime, when people tend to indulge in sweets like ice cream, popsicles, and candy bars. When you consume too many sweets, your teeth sometimes become very sensitive, which makes it hard to chew, or even enjoy beverages. The good news for people suffering from sensitive teeth is that it doesn’t require a trip to the dentist, unless it is severe and persistent, because there are a few things you can do to treat the issue, which is listed below.

Practice Good Oral Care

This is the best advice you will ever get from a dentist. If you brush your teeth at least twice a day, and floss daily, while making regular trips to your dentist’s office, you can prevent situations like this from occurring.

Switch To Toothpaste Made For Sensitive Teeth

If your teeth are sensitive, an easy cure for it is to change the toothpaste that you are currently using, to one that is designed for sensitive teeth. After using it regularly for a period of time, the sensitivity in your teeth will gradually reduce.

Use Dental Products That Have Fluoride

When it comes to sensitive teeth, fluoride is a big deal because it can help strengthen the surface of your teeth which has been affected by bacterial acids over the years. You should check to make sure that both your toothpaste and mouthwash have fluoride, to reduce any sensitivity that you are feeling.

Use A Soft Bristle Toothbrush

Using a soft bristle toothbrush helps to keep your teeth’s protective layer as strong as possible because you aren’t scrubbing away the enamel protecting your teeth. Instead, it helps you clean your mouth without causing damage to your teeth and gums.

Avoid Acidic Foods And Drinks

If you have sensitive teeth, you should stay away from acidic foods like fruits, and drinks like wine and soft drinks, because they add to the pain and sensitivity that you are feeling. Some sugary foods can also have the same effects, so you will also have to sacrifice those to reduce the sensitivity of your teeth.

Avoid Smoking And Chewing Tobacco

Like acidic foods and drinks, smoking and chewing tobacco also contribute to the sensitivity of your teeth, so you should stay away from them also.

These are a few things that you should do if you are experiencing sensitive teeth, and most of the time, they do work. If your pain is persistent, you should make an appointment to see your dentist, who will be able to help you reduce the sensitivity.

Conclusion:

The content explains all the scenarios related to sensitive teeth. All the possible ways are explained but never bound yourself. Keep looking for the best suggestions for your good oral health.

For Assistance, Visit https://appletreedental.ca/

Article compiled by https://appletreedental.ca/

Article Reference Links:

  1. https://www.interdent.com/mdco/blog/soothing-sensitive-teeth-from-summertime-sweets/ ↑

  2. https://danawaltersdds.com/blog/ways-to-soothe-your-sensitive-teeth-from-summer-sweets/ ↑

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Soothing Sensitive Teeth from Summertime Sweets
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