All About Tooth Enamel

Interesting facts about tooth enamel and how to keep your enamel strong and healthy.

Enamel is your tooth’s first line of defense against the world. How much do you really know about it?

What is Tooth Enamel?

Tooth enamel is a hard, shiny material that covers the surface of teeth and protects the dentin, tooth pulp, and nerves inside the tooth. Enamel is actually the hardest substance in the human body, made primarily of calcium phosphate deposited over a substrate of enamel matrix proteins.

How Did Tooth Enamel Evolve?

Interestingly, scientists now believe that tooth enamel didn’t actually originate on our teeth. Instead, it evolved in the skin and colonized the teeth much later. Looking at fossil fish and sharks and archaic living species such as the gar, scientists noted the presence of “dermal denticles” or little tooth-like scales on the outer surface of the body. The gar’s genome contains genes for two of the three enamel matrix proteins found in human teeth. In the gar, these genes are expressed in the skin.

What Causes Enamel Erosion?

Although enamel is very hard, it can be damaged over time in a process called enamel erosion. This is a big problem because without adequate enamel, outside stimuli can start getting through to your teeth. You may notice your teeth becoming more sensitive to hot and cold or to pressure as the enamel thins and holes in the dentin become exposed. Eventually, enamel may erode to such a degree that a cavity develops.

Common causes of enamel erosion include tooth grinding, overbrushing, exposure to acidic foods and drinks (such as soda), and tooth decay.

How to Take Care of Tooth Enamel

Tooth enamel can restore and renew itself to an amazing degree through the process of remineralization. Basically what happens is your saliva carries calcium and other minerals to the surface of teeth, where the minerals bond with and reinforce the enamel. You can encourage this process by eating a healthy diet and using a remineralizing toothpaste.

You also need to be careful to take preventative care of your enamel by avoiding the common causes of enamel erosion. If you do drink something acidic like soda or orange juice, rinse your mouth with water afterwards and don’t brush your teeth while the enamel is softened by exposure to the acids.

And of course, don’t forget to keep up with your routine dental cleanings and exams!