An Overview of Enamel – Protecting Your Child’s Teeth

Posted January 13, 2020

It’s no secret that prevention is the foundation of excellent children’s dental care, but what exactly does prevention mean? One of the most important aspects of caring for any teeth, young or old, is to make sure they’re healthy enough to protect themselves. When healthy, the outer layers of teeth, known as enamel, can protect them from nearly anything, including damage and decay from harmful oral bacteria. At our Dallas, TX, dental office, much the preventive care we provide focuses on keeping this protective layer around your child’s teeth strong and healthy, to help avoid more serious oral health concerns in the future.

What is tooth enamel?

Tooth enamel describes the semi-translucent, but highly resilient, layer of minerals that surrounds healthy teeth. It’s the most resilient substance that the human body produces, even as young children, and it’s paramount to keeping teeth healthy at any age. While strong and resilient, tooth enamel can become weak due to negligent hygiene, the overwhelming presence of oral bacteria, and more. If enamel becomes so weak that it develops a hole, then the entire protective layer around the tooth will become compromised. Therefore, preventing this from occurring is the most important part of preventive dental care for your child.

What if enamel starts to grow weak?

During your child’s routine checkup and cleaning appointments, we can carefully check tooth enamel to determine if it’s still strong, or if it may have grown weaker since the last visit. If it has, then we may recommend treatment to strengthen it, such as topical fluoride treatment. The mineral, fluoride, has the ability to bond securely to the weakened mineral strands in your child’s tooth enamel, fortifying them against things like decay-causing oral bacteria. We might also recommend placing dental sealants, made from biocompatible acrylic, onto the chewing surfaces of your child’s teeth to prevent oral bacteria from reaching the enamel as it repairs itself.

How can I keep my kids’ teeth strong?

In addition to these treatments, we’ll also recommend personalized ways to help keep your child’s teeth strong and healthy between dental visits. That includes improved dental hygiene techniques you can teach your child (and practice yourself, as well), and tips to reduce your child’s exposure to candy and other sugar-rich substances. Most importantly, stick to a routine schedule of preventive checkups and cleanings so we can keep a close eye on the health and integrity of your child’s teeth.

Learn more about protecting your child’s teeth

By keeping your child’s tooth enamel strong and healthy, we can help better protect and preserve their smiles now and in the future. To learn more, schedule an appointment by calling Pediatric Dental Care at Casa Linda in Dallas, TX today at 214-321-4880. We proudly serve patients who live around Casa Linda and all surrounding Dallas communities.