Accidental dental damage

Posted on: 9 March 2022

Your dental enamel is one of your most precious dental health resources. This thin layer of minerals (primarily calcium phosphate) coating your teeth is exceptionally strong and durable and is what helps to keep corrosive elements at bay, protecting your teeth from decay and preventing cavities. It can be frustrating to have had a number of cavities throughout the years, especially if you're already doing everything you can to stop them by maintaining a high level of oral hygiene and by paying attention to the amount of sugar and other potentially destructive compounds in your diet. Some people are more prone to developing cavities than others, but modern dentistry has a solution for this particular problem.

Dental Enamel

There are several conditions related specifically to dental enamel which can lead to inadequate or otherwise abnormal enamel formation. Enamel hypocalcification is when there may be excess enamel that lacks strength, and this contrasts with enamel hypoplasia, which is when the enamel is missing from teeth to some degree. Certain illnesses (such as coeliac disease) can affect enamel formation, whereas others (such as diabetes) can affect the volume and composition of saliva, which can increase the risk of cavities. There are also medications that affect saliva, and these can have a similar effect. If (despite your ongoing efforts), you regularly need to have cavities filled, there may be an underlying cause (such as those listed above). Your dentist can help you to uncover the precise reason.

A Physical Buffer

Learning the exact cause for your multiple, regular cavities can be helpful, but it doesn't solve the immediate problem of your deficient dental enamel. Should enamel erosion continue, your teeth will need extra protection in the form of a physical buffer between the tooth's structure and corrosive elements in your mouth. There are many dental restorations that can serve this purpose, such as dental crowns and dental bonding. But it's in your best interests to receive an effective and incredibly simple preventative measure before you get to that stage.

An Easy Solution

Dental sealants are commonly used in paediatric dentistry. They're an invisible coating of transparent resin applied to the biting surfaces of teeth and are a handy form of protection for children's teeth (particularly molars), which have more grooves and fissures than a permanent tooth (making oral hygiene challenging for some children). But they're not exclusively for children. An adult, such as yourself, who may be vulnerable to cavities can receive a dental sealant to give their dental enamel some much-needed reinforcement. It's quick and simple, and a dentist simply reapplies it as needed during your regular checkups.

Having a tendency to develop cavities might be frustrating, but a thin coat of dental resin applied to your teeth can provide an incredibly simple and extremely efficient solution to your problem.

Talk to a dentist for more information.