Does Tooth Enamel Naturally Grow Back?

From extreme temperatures to hungry bacteria, enamel protects your teeth from all of the bad stuff out there. This hard mineralized surface on your teeth keeps them looking and feeling great. But unfortunately, over time, your enamel can chip, break off and erode. Unlike most other parts of your body, enamel doesn’t grow back naturally because it doesn’t have any living cells. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.

Let’s take a look at what causes enamel to wear away and what happens when it’s eroding so that you can do your best to prevent it.

What Causes Your Enamel to Wear Away?

Your enamel’s two biggest enemies are acids and physical contact. Here are some of the most common reasons why it wears away over time.

• Lack of saliva. Your saliva keeps your enamel strong and dilutes acid. Smoking can reduce your saliva secretion, causing the mineralized surface of your teeth to erode.
• Soda pop and fruit drinks. Sodas and even some fruit drinks are filled with acids that eat away at your teeth.
• Acid reflux. If you suffer from acid reflux, your stomach acid may cause enamel erosion.
• Your medication. Some medications, such as aspirin and asthma medication, can erode your teeth.
• What you eat. If you have a high sugar and starch diet, you could be hurting your teeth.
• Teeth grinding. Clenching or grinding your teeth can damage your enamel over time.
• Bad habits. If you bite your nails, chew tobacco, bite pens, brush your teeth too hard or floss the wrong way, you’re probably wearing down your enamel.
• Tooth fractures. You can physically break off your enamel by fracturing your tooth.

What Are Some Symptoms of Enamel Erosion?

Once you identify that erosion is happening, you can work to prevent it and treat it. Here are a few common symptoms of enamel erosion:

• Yellowing teeth.
• Sensitivity to sugary food and extremely hot or cold food. This sensitivity becomes more painful and severe as erosion gets worse.
• Regular cracks, chips and jagged edges in your teeth.
• Dents in your teeth.

What Can You Do To Help Your Teeth?

Dental problems like enamel erosion are normally pretty easy to prevent. If you practice proper hygiene by flossing every day and brushing your teeth twice a day with toothpaste that contains fluoride, you’re on a path to having healthy teeth. Using a mouthwash that contains fluoride will also help, as fluoride helps to strengthen your enamel. If you’re looking for an easier way to help, drinking water will lubricate the mouth and rinse acidity away, helping to balance PH levels in the mouth. Of course, you should also try to avoid any actions that cause your enamel to wear away, like the ones we listed out earlier in the article.
Just because you’re enamel can’t grow back doesn’t mean it can’t be treated. If you already have trouble with your teeth, you may be interested in our Enamel Remineralization Treatment. This treatment helps to improve the appearance, sensitivity and strength of your teeth with calcium phosphate, sodium fluoride and recaldent. Feel free to contact Chicago’s #1 dentistry, Water Tower Dental Care, to learn more.