The dental world has made impressive strides over the past few decades. New technologies make it easier than ever to have dental work done and get fantastic results. With all of the options that exist for achieving a beautiful, healthy smile, it is easy to forget about your mouth's natural ability to protect itself.
I'm Dr. Corbet Locke, a Waco-based dentist, and I'm here to remind you about your mouth's most amazing natural feature: your tooth enamel.
Tooth enamel, the hard, white substance covering each of your teeth, is your smile's natural defense system. Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body. In fact, it is the second hardest naturally occurring substance, second only to diamonds. If that isn't great protection for your teeth, then I don't know what is!
Unfortunately, tooth enamel isn't indestructible. After eating and drinking, acids temporarily soften tooth enamel, making it vulnerable. This allows sugars and other harmful bacteria to stick to the teeth. Fortunately, your saliva is designed to re-strengthen tooth enamel. This is just another example of how everything in the oral cavity works together, and how important it is to have regular dental check-ups to make sure that everything is healthy and functioning properly.
It has also been proven that rigorous brushing habits can diminish natural tooth enamel. Special toothpastes exist to help remedy this problem, but like many other bodily substances, there is no real substitute for tooth enamel. At your check-up I may suggest composite resin to restore any damage to this incredible defense mechanism.
For more information about the power of tooth enamel, or to schedule an appointment, please call my office at (254) 776-4888.