How to keep your teeth strong
Having bright, beautiful teeth depends on more than just brushing twice a day.
It also depends on the strength of your enamel, the outer layer of your teeth and the first line of defense against daily wear and tear. What you eat and drink, or even certain medical conditions or medications, can strip away the minerals that make your enamel so strong. And your genetics and early childhood experiences can also play a role in how strong your teeth are and how susceptible they are to cavities.
Here's what dentists want you to know about what weakens your teeth and how to keep them strong.
What causes weak teeth?
Some people simply have thinner or more brittle enamel. This can be the result of relatively rare genetic conditions, such as amelogenesis imperfecta. But more often, enamel problems are associated with environmental factors that can disrupt its formation in utero or in early childhood, said Dr. Isabelle Chase, director of the pediatric dental residency program at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
Research has linked prenatal health problems vitamin D deficiency or gestational diabetes to a greater incidence of enamel defects in children. Some studies have also suggested that malnutrition is associated with childhood and early childhood diseases such as measles, pneumonia or even frequent high fever may be related to weaker enamel.
The weaker the enamel, the more sensitive your teeth are, especially to heat or cold. You may also be more prone to cavities, said Dr. Chase.
In older teens and adults, acidic foods and drinks cause most of the enamel erosion that dentists see, said Dr. Chase. This includes fruit juices, sports drinks, soft drinks, sparkling water and foods containing vinegar, such as pickles.
Although coffee is somewhat acidic, it is not as erosive as citrus drinks and soft drinks, especially in moderate amounts. But adding sugar to your morning cup can feed the bacteria in your mouth, said Dr. Chase, which then produce acid that can weaken your teeth. This is a process separate from direct erosion by acid in food.
Objects that stick to your teeth are problematic for the same reason. If you eat or drink them often, your enamel will slowly lose its minerals and become weaker and more vulnerable to cavities or chips, said Dr. Daniel H. Fine, chairman of the department of oral biology at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine.
“If you had one chocolate bar and ate it all in one sitting, you would have a lot of exposure to foods that cause acid to be produced on your teeth,” he explained. But if you were to break it into pieces and eat it multiple times, “you would be exposed to acid multiple times,” he added, which could cause even more damage.
A person's teeth – especially those in the back of the mouth – may also be weakened by chronic acid reflux or frequent vomiting. Certainly occupational exposuresuch as sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid, can also put people at greater risk for enamel erosion.
Saliva can prevent damage by buffering or neutralizing acid in the mouth, said Dr. Fine. It can also coat the teeth with important minerals that help with remineralization, such as calcium from dark leafy greens or phosphorus from nuts, beans and meat. But people who have chronic dry mouth due to certain medical conditions or medicines can lack this protection and is therefore also susceptible to weakened teeth.
A dentist can determine if you have enamel problems by looking at your teeth under bright light in some cases using an X-ray to assess the density of the enamel.
What can you do to strengthen the teeth?
While some factors are out of control, there are still steps you can take to protect and strengthen your enamel. Brushing and flossing Being diligent is essential, said Dr. Chase. But you should wait at least half an hour to an hour after eating or drinking so that your saliva has time to wash away the acids before brushing.
The American Dental Association recommends using products that contain fluoride, which combines calcium and phosphorus in your saliva to make enamel harder and more resistant to decay.
Dentists may also recommend a fluoride mouthwash or prescribe high-fluoride toothpaste for people who have weaker teeth or are more prone to cavities. However, all of these treatments are most effective in the early stages of enamel damage, said Dr. Fine.
To prevent erosion, Dr. Chase that you should try to limit your consumption of acidic foods and drinks. Avoid sipping drinks for long periods of time and eating snacks all the time, which exposes your teeth to acids more often and feeds the bacteria in your mouth. Rinse your mouth regularly after eating and drinking to increase your saliva production and counteract some of the effects of erosion.
Scheduling regular dental checkups can also pay off, helping you detect and repair damage early. If the enamel is continually eroded, the damage cannot be reversed. Cracks and cavities are permanent and the last thing you want is to have a filling done when you are in pain.