Enamel erosion is primarily caused by the acids in the foods and beverages you consume. These acids wear the enamel down over time, especially if you don't properly brush your teeth after eating acidic food. Saliva is a naturally-forming agent that neutralizes acid to protect your teeth.
Once tooth enamel is damaged, it cannot be brought back. However, weakened enamel can be restored to some degree by improving its mineral content. Although toothpastes and mouthwashes can never “rebuild” teeth, they can contribute to this remineralization process.
With the enamel gone, the soft inner surfaces of your teeth will be exposed to the open air and to any food and drink that you consume. This means that the affected teeth will become discoloured or stained more easily. Your teeth will also become more sensitive to hot and cold foods or drinks.
Because the enamel protects the inner part of the tooth, without it, teeth would deteriorate and decay very quickly, resulting in oral pain, tooth loss, infection, and likely gum disease.
Not everyone's is the strongest, though, and still, others have teeth without enamel at all. Without enamel to protect the softer interior parts of your teeth, they can't stand up to the stress of natural biting and chewing. These abnormal developments require special care and treatment.
As the enamel erodes more, your teeth may appear grayish or yellow. Your teeth may begin to appear rounded, develop ridges, and often the gaps between teeth will become more substantial. Eventually, you may notice cracks in the teeth or experience loss of tooth material.
The erosion is seen as a light yellow patch on the tooth. This indicates that the enamel has been dissolved and the sensitive dentine under the enamel has been exposed. This exposure of the dentine will result in pain from sweet, hot, and cold food and drinks.
The most common treatment options include: Fillings for minor enamel erosion and decay, often localized in one small area. Crowns for major decay spots too large for a filling. Dental bonding to protect surfaces of multiple teeth.
As such, no matter how hard the enamel is, it can corrode, erode, and wear away over time. Enamel loss is one of the main causes of tooth sensitivity and eventually, dental decay. When this occurs, your gums will become more susceptible to gum disease.
Dental enamel hypoplasia is an enamel defect characterized by thin or absent enamel. In some cases, the defect occurs on only part of a tooth's surface, resulting in pits or grooves in the tooth's enamel. In other cases, an entire tooth may have an overly thin layer of dental enamel or may have no enamel at all.
Stress can lead to teeth grinding.
This can be quite problematic for your oral health—particularly your teeth and jawbone. Nighttime teeth grinders can wear down their dental enamel and cause a lot of damage. It can also cause TMJ syndrome, which is characterized by pain in the jaw and face.
Autoimmune Disease
One disease in particular that can impact your dental health is known as Sjören's Syndrome. This health condition reduces saliva in the mouth. Saliva protects the teeth against decay-causing bacteria. Without saliva, bacteria can feed on your tooth enamel.
Tooth enamel erosion and wear weakens the overall structure of your smile, exposing you to an increased risk for tooth decay (cavities), dental chips and cracks, and infection in or around the tooth.
Preventing dental erosion
Drink fluoridated tap water rather than soft drink or juice. Eat fruit rather than drinking fruit juice. Eat fruit at meal times rather than between meals. Reduce how often you eat or drink anything acidic and don't leave it sitting in your mouth for too long.
One of the most common signs your tooth's enamel is damaged is sensitivity. You may notice discomfort while eating or drinking something with hot or hot temperatures. The more your enamel gets damaged, the more extreme your sensitivity will become.
It covers the sensitive areas within the tooth called the dentin and pulp. If the enamel is penetrated, you may experience tooth pain or sensitivity to hot and cold food and drinks. The dentin and pulp can also be exposed to bacteria, leading to cavities, tooth decay, and other unpleasant dental conditions.
It could be the result of an acidic diet, medication side reactions or just vigorous brushing. Dry mouth, low salivary flow, diet high in sugar and starches, bruxism and friction, acid reflux disease, gastrointestinal problems and even genetics could also be blamed for enamel erosion.
Try non-acidic foods: Certain foods are good for your enamel. Many types of fruits and vegetables, dairy products such as milk, and foods or drinks containing fluoride – notably spinach, grapes and black tea – will be useful to naturally restore enamel.