The enamel on your teeth – or the outermost layer of your tooth tissue – is something that provides protection to the internal portion of your tooth, where blood flow and the arrival of nutrients take place. When this extremely hard, outer layer becomes damaged, it leaves your tooth vulnerable to a host of seriously harmful problems for your oral health. Ready to learn more about whether it’s possible to hurt this extremely hard substance (it is!) and how to avoid it? Take a moment to learn some interesting information.

Things To Avoid

There’s a variety of ways you can damage your enamel and, subsequently, your oral health. First, physical trauma and pressure can damage your enamel by scraping it – the abrasion, over time, can weaken your dental enamel. This might include failing to address bruxism (grinding can erode enamel), using a hard toothbrush (firm bristles can scrape your enamel), or chewing on hard foods like ice. Acid erosion may also wear away some of this tissue layer. This may include eating foods high in sugar content (which leads to an acid attack in your mouth) or consuming acidic foods (like citrus, coffee, etc.).

Why Protecting Enamel Is Important

Protecting your enamel is so important to your oral health because this tissue is extremely hard and easy to maintain if you are thoughtful about care – and because your enamel safeguards the deeper layers, the body, and the roots of your tooth. By neglecting this issue and allowing damage to occur, the problem may lead to decay, breakage, or infection.