After using your teeth every day for a few decades, you might be wondering how to strengthen your tooth enamel and what you can do if you have weak teeth due to any number of factors. Our Edmonton dentists offer some tips on how to make teeth stronger.
How to Strengthen Teeth
Teeth are some of the most important parts of our body, and they take a lot of daily punishment. But weak teeth can leave us more susceptible to erosion, fracture and other dental emergencies.
We’ve treated some patients who have asked us how to make their teeth stronger and more resistant to these issues in the future.
In this post, our Edmonton dentists share some tips on what you can do if you have weak teeth, how to strengthen your enamel and maintain good oral health.
Use a proper brushing technique.
Brushing your teeth is a basic daily task, and it’s imperative to keep up on oral hygiene to maintain strong and healthy teeth.
We recommend brushing at least twice each day for two minutes each time and flossing once every 24 hours to strengthen your teeth. Regular brushing will help to remove built-up plaque, bacteria and calculus, which weaken teeth and cause cavities and gum disease.
Eliminate refined sugar from your diet.
Sugar has always been a formidable enemy of healthy teeth since it is the main source of bacteria from food. While it is ubiquitous in our society and in many people’s favourite food choices, it produces harmful acid on our teeth and is a contributing factor to many long-term health issues, including cancer, obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Instead of adding more vitamins for teeth, we can strengthen them by eliminating refined sugar from the menu.
But, if you eliminate refined sugar from your diet you’ll cut many types of dangerous bacteria off at the source. This protects your teeth from erosion and damaging acid produced by bacteria.
Cut carbs.
Carbohydrates are in a lot of the foods many of us love. But did you know that snacking on them during your afternoon slump is feeding the bacteria in your mouth? When bacteria is well-fed it will thrive and produce more acid, which weakens precious tooth enamel.
Bonus: Taking a break from snacking will actually rejuvenate your digestive system, and you might be surprised to find you don’t even miss it. Replace your carb-loaded snacks with carb-free ones or rinse with water after eating to dilute sugar and give your saliva a better chance at buffering the acids.
Eat foods that support remineralization.
If we choose our diets wisely, food can support our oral health instead of threatening it. Weakened tooth enamel can be repaired and restored during a process called remineralization, which will protect your teeth from future erosion.
When important minerals such as calcium bond to our teeth, they can fill weakened areas. If you start researching online with phrases such as “How to remineralize teeth”, you’ll find that many of these minerals can be found in some foods you may already be familiar with; fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, seafood, poultry, cheese and other dairy products such as milk.
Talk to your dentist about issues with teeth grinding.
Many of us grind our teeth subconsciously due to stress, or while sleeping. But whether the process happens while we’re awake or during sleep when teeth clench and grind together, it can cause them to wear down and enamel can be lost. You may even experience pain in your face and jaw.
Ask your regular dentist for recommendations on techniques or mouth guards to prevent teeth grinding or clenching.
See your dentist regularly.
Visiting your dentist every six months or so will help keep your teeth and gums strong. In addition to cleaning tartar from your teeth with equipment that you won't have access to at home, your dentist can offer advice on your specific circumstances and and answer any questions about dental health you might have, including what minerals and vitamins for teeth you need. They can also identify areas that might need improvement (such as brushing or flossing) and detect diseases early. This can help prevent discomfort, pain and dental emergencies.