People’s interest in dental strengthening methods is often due to bleeding or wobbly teeth. People do not always pay proper attention to the choice of toothbrush, toothpaste and rinse, and we visit the dentist only in extreme cases. In this article, you will learn about prevention, prohibited foods, essential vitamins to strengthen the teeth and improve gum health.
Dental caries and gum disease take place in both children and adults. Yet, when you keep your teeth and gums healthy and strong, these issues are preventable.
Stronger Teeth Basics
4 elements are vital to your plan for strong teeth and healthy gums: a healthy diet, excellent oral hygiene, use of fluorides and regular expert cleansings. Not only will this assist safeguard you versus oral disease, but it can likewise assist you to keep your teeth for a life time.
Tooth decay (cavities and dental caries) and gum disease are brought on by colonies of bacteria that constantly coat the teeth with a sticky movie called plaque. If plaque is not brushed away, these bacteria break down the sugars and starches in foods to produce acids that deteriorate the tooth enamel. The plaque also hardens into tartar, which can cause gum swelling, or gingivitis.
A distinction is made between external and internal factors of tooth decay. External factors include:
- Thermal;
- Mechanical damage;
- Chemical;
- Hygienic;
Internal factors:
- Changes in hormonal background;
- Calcium and fluoride deficiencies;
- Digestive disorders;
- Improper nutrition, diets.
Healthy foods. You can protect your teeth by concluding meals with foods that do not promote cavities and may even avoid them. For example, aged cheeses help prevent cavities if taken in at the end of a meal. Chewing sugarless gum stimulates the circulation of saliva, which reduces acid and eliminates food particles. Rinsing your mouth and brushing your teeth after eating are very important strategies to avoid cavities.
Causes and Symptoms of Enamel Damage
Teeth undergo an enormous amount of stress on a daily basis (chewing, temperature changes), so it is normal that tooth enamel wears away in the course of our lives. It is a normal physiological process, which, however, can be slowed down with simple preventive methods.
Causes of tooth damage are divided into carious and non-carious. Non-carious ones are primarily due to improper oral care.
Rapidly thinning enamel can be caused by the following reasons:
- The habit of chewing on nails, pencils, pens, etc. Although enamel is very strong, it rubs off quickly when regularly exposed to hard objects.
- Straight bite. An erect bite is considered to be correct and provides adequate chewing, but the constant contact of the upper and lower jaws causes rapid wear and tear of the enamel.
- Loss of teeth. If some teeth are missing, the stress on neighboring teeth is greatly increased, causing them to deteriorate more quickly.
- Improper care. Brushing too hard or inappropriate, sloppy brushing, using harsh whitening pastes, and lack of any oral care leads to damage to tooth enamel.
- Cavities. Cavities destroy tooth tissue. It is one of the most common dental diseases that begins with the destruction of enamel and then spreads to other dental hard tissues. At the same time, the damaged tooth changes color (turns darker or lighter).
- Periodontal inflammation. This disease can progress and affect the bone tissue of the jaw. The most common cause of the inflammatory process is bacterial plaque, which must be removed daily with a brush.
Symptoms may not appear immediately. One of the obvious signs of enamel damage is increased tooth sensitivity. It itself has no nerve endings, but if there are cracks in it, then there is a toothache and discomfort when chewing, drinking hot or cold drinks.
Best Tips How to Get Stronger Teeth and Gums
Healthy Consuming
Appropriate nutrition is vital for establishing teeth and gums to make sure that they are resistant to dental caries and gum disease. It is necessary that pregnant women and young kids eat a diet rich in vitamins A, C and D, calcium and phosphorus, in addition to protein. This indicates drinking lots of low-fat milk and eating foods such as meats, fish, poultry, vegetables, fruits and cheeses. Excellent nutrition stays crucial for maintaining healthy teeth and gums in grownups. Avoiding sugary sweets is likewise crucial. Bacteria in your mouth use sugars to develop acids that dissolve tooth enamel and cause gum disease. Carbohydrates in moderation, nevertheless, help sustain healthy, strong teeth and gums as part of a well balanced diet.
Healthy teeth and gums not just provide you a beautiful smile, but likewise suggest good oral health and health that play a crucial role in your life
Use of Fluoride
Fluoride, which is easily soaked up into tooth enamel, reinforces your teeth, making them more resistant to decay-causing acids. Fluoride might also fix early-stage tooth decay by promoting remineralization of tooth enamel and get stronger teeth in future. Many neighborhoods add safe amounts of fluoride to their water supplies as a reliable technique to minimize cavities. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry advises drinking fluoridated tap water and using topical fluoride items, such as toothpastes, gels and rinses. Fluoride supplements are often recommended for children when fluoridated water isn’t really offered, and in-office fluoride treatments are motivated.
Brushing and Flossing
Bacteria constantly form a sticky plaque on your teeth and around your gums. When not cleaned off regularly, acids from bacterial plaque get rid of calcium from your teeth, weakening the enamel and eventually causing cavities. The acids can likewise cause swelling of your gums. The best protection versus this risk is to thoroughly brush your teeth twice a day with anti-microbial toothpaste which contains fluoride. Using dental floss or inter-dental cleaners when a day will clean up between your teeth where your tooth brush can not reach. In addition, you can use an anti-microbial mouthwash to decrease the amount of bacteria and plaque in your mouth and provoke to have stronger and healthier gums.
Professional Dental Cleanings
If left to collect, bacterial plaque eventually solidifies into tartar. Tartar traps bacteria around and under your gums, causing swelling of the gum tissue, as well as loss of the bone around your teeth. Since tough deposits can not be removed by tooth brushing, routine expert cleanings are had to avoid gum disease. Your dental expert or hygienist gets rid of tartar with special instruments, then polishes your teeth to smooth the tooth surface area and remove discolorations. To maintain strong, healthy gums, many dental professionals recommend that you have your teeth cleaned up at least twice a year.
Proper Prevention Is the Main Way to Strengthen Your Teeth
Bleeding gums are the first thing that cause a person to think about their oral health. It can signal the development of gum disease, which can lead to persistent bad breath, inflammation, even tooth loss.
A more frightening signal is wobbling caused by overly hard foods, age, or periodontal tooth mobility. The latter appears in advanced stages of periodontitis or periodontal disease, signaling inflammatory disease of the peri-dental tissues. The disease can run with pronounced painful sensations or unnoticeable. Ignoring it leads to one result – tooth loss or necessary extraction.
How to care for the oral cavity
To avoid the development of dental disease, you need to know about how to properly strengthen your teeth. We recommend brushing them twice a day for 3.5 minutes. For safe and effective brushing, it’s best to move from the gum to the edge of the incisor.
Take care of the basic components of proper hygiene:
- Toothbrush. Artificial pile options last up to 4 months, allowing you to effectively get rid of food debris and bacteria without scratching the enamel.
- Toothpaste. It is better to refuse whitening pastes for daily use, they can be used only up to 1 month, as they contain substances with too aggressive an effect on the enamel. They can be replaced by other options – pastes that reduce sensitivity.
- Irrigator. This is a device for removing food debris and plaque at home. It is especially useful for improving hygiene in hard-to-reach places for brushing. Without it, people who wear braces, crowns, bridges cannot do without it.
- Floss. If you want to avoid the development of bacteria, then use floss for brushing. There are even special floss flossers that help you get rid of food debris safely.
- Rinse aid. You can use it to mechanically remove plaque and strengthen your teeth and gums. There are options with anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, wound-healing and other actions. Given the wide variety, the rinse should be chosen by the attending physician, based on the characteristics of your body.
A person’s habits play an important role. For example, if you want to strengthen your teeth, it’s better to avoid drinking too hot or cold drinks frequently. We do not recommend eating ice cream right after a hot tea/coffee.
Solid foods such as apples and carrots can help improve blood flow to the gums and strengthen teeth. Rinsing with room-temperature water can help remove fruit acid residue from enamel.
Those who like chewing gum should use it with caution. Chewing gum should not be used on an empty stomach, otherwise there is a high probability of damaging the gastrointestinal tract. It should not be used as an alternative to a toothbrush because it is not able to properly remove plaque and food debris from your teeth.
What vitamins and foods do I need to strengthen my teeth?
The foods we eat on a daily basis have a particular impact on our oral health. Sticky and sweet foods are bad for your teeth, because they can stay in your mouth for a long time, gradually destroying the enamel. Some foods, on the other hand, help boost health.
We’ve put together a list of vitamins and minerals that improve oral health:
- Calcium. Adding milk, kefir, yogurt and other dairy products to your diet is an effective way to help strengthen your teeth with calcium. Don’t forget to eat eggs, nuts, seafood and dates regularly.
- Phosphorus. Having enough phosphorus in your body ensures that you have healthy and strong enamel. You can get it from red meat, fish, buckwheat, beans, and oatmeal.
- Fluoride. Include black and green teas, walnuts, and garlic in your diet to resist tooth decay and kill the bacterial environment. Even mineral water has plenty of fluoride.
- Vitamin D. Essential for good calcium and phosphorus absorption. It can be obtained from fish oil, eggs, butter, and olive oil.
- Magnesium. Cashews, peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds and other nuts are the foods with the highest magnesium content. Additionally, include oatmeal, peas and beans, and mustard in your diet.
- Vitamin C. Important for the entire body, including the gums and oral mucosa. You can get it from kiwi, strawberries, spinach, blackcurrants, and citrus fruits.
When adding the above vitamins and minerals to your diet, you need to stay within the norm, because taking too many will negatively affect your entire body. Our doctors give detailed recommendations, including nutrition.
How to Strengthen Your Teeth if They Decay
If a molar wobbles or you need to strengthen your front teeth, the first thing you need to do is take care of your gums. Many people worry about how to strengthen tooth enamel. The following recommendations can be used to regenerate enamel:
- Apply a special mineral paste for 3 minutes.
- Massage the gums in a circular motion.
- Variety of foods rich in calcium and minerals.
Consult a doctor beforehand in all cases. There are no miracle cures for strengthening the teeth, but simple, time-tested and proven interventions can be used.
- Brushing your teeth for at least 2 minutes, twice a day. It is better to use a medium-hard brush and quality toothpaste.
- Rinses after eating with warm water. You can use a solution of soda and salt. Flossing is helpful.
- Regular visits to your dentist.
- Taking vitamins. Based on the tests, vitamin preparations should be chosen and taken in courses, twice a year.
Drugs to strengthen the teeth should be prescribed by a dentist or pharmacist. There are effective herbal remedies and propolis for this purpose.
Nutrition and an optimal physiological load on the teeth play an important role. In this case, the tissues of the mouth receive a healthy massage and natural disinfection.
Causes of tooth decay
Cavities are the most common dental disease – bone tissue breaks down and becomes soft and cavities form. The disease is a consequence of an unbalanced diet. Cavities are caused by:
- Deficiencies in phosphorus, potassium and protein;
- Excess sugar;
- Disease-causing microbes, which multiply quickly in an acidic environment.
- Germs should not be left to chance:
- Sweet foods should not be consumed frequently;
- Brush your teeth and gums properly;
- Rinse your mouth regularly;
- No pieces of food should be left between the teeth.
Do Home Remedies Help Strengthen Your Teeth?
Folk remedies do not replace professional treatment, but are a good complement to therapy.
- Infusion of linden blossoms (dry) and baking soda. Infusion is carried out for 5 hours in cold water, it is used for gargling, acts preventively.
- A mixture of honey and salt is rubbed into the gums with periodontal disease.
- Corn porridge for breakfast – a composition rich in valuable components will help maintain dental health.
- Honey and rose oil as a means to lubricate the teeth. The course is 10 days. After a break, you can repeat the action.
- Decoction from a mixture of medicinal herbs (crushed) is used to rinse the teeth.
- Brushing the teeth with propolis.
- Evening rinses with a solution of sea salt. No food can be eaten after the procedure.
How Do You Know if Your Teeth Are Weakening?
The process of tooth decay usually occurs in stages:
- The above-root part of the tooth darkens;
- Yellowing of the crown is a sign of thinning enamel;
- The softened enamel becomes rough;
- Teeth become sensitive to temperature changes in food;
- Cracks and chips appear;
- The shape of the teeth changes.
The cause of tooth decay is inevitably a bad bite.
If problems arise, timely action must be taken. If complaints of bleeding gums, soreness and discoloration occur, you should see a periodontist. Timely treatment can be a lifesaver for your teeth.
How to Strengthen Your Teeth and Gums: Questions and Answers
What to do if a wisdom tooth is crumbling
For the reasons listed above, not only the front and active chewing teeth can crumble, but also the eight teeth. In addition, the reason that the wisdom tooth has crumbled is also its position. It often grows with difficulty, growing at an angle, resting against the adjacent tooth. It is almost impossible to clean it properly, let alone to cure it. In this case, the “eight” should be removed to prevent the destruction of the adjacent tooth and inflammation.
Crumbling teeth during pregnancy
The baby in the womb receives a large amount of calcium from the mother’s body for its development. This, among other things, affects the condition of the pregnant woman’s teeth. Therefore, an integral part of the daily diet of the expectant mother should be milk, cheese, cottage cheese or yogurt to make up for the deficiency of the important mineral.
How to prevent crumbling teeth in children and adults
To strengthen the enamel and in order to prevent tooth breakage, it is necessary to follow measures such as:
- Take care of your oral hygiene at home, rinsing your mouth after sweet or sour foods
- Have your teeth cleaned and strengthened with calcium and fluoride by a dentist twice a year for a complete oral hygiene checkup.
- Eat mostly healthy foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals
- Giving up bad habits like biting your nails and other objects and smoking
- Drink clean drinking water with a normal mineral content.
Dental care if your teeth begin to chip
A dentist will choose the right technique for you to restore the integrity and natural appearance of your tooth. The choice depends a lot on the extent of its damage.
Filling
If the tooth is only slightly chipped, you can restore it with a filling material
Veneers
They are used if the front tooth has decayed. Ceramic fillings will perfectly restore the beauty of your smile.
Inlays
When a chewing tooth is 50% decayed, reliable inlays save the day. They are more durable and airtight than fillings.
Crowns
If the tooth is left almost without a crown, you should have crowns. Ceramic ones are very good for the front teeth and zirconia ones are good for the chewing teeth.
Extraction followed by implantation
When a tooth has decayed and only the root is left, the tooth needs to be extracted and, if possible, an implant and a crown should be placed on the tooth immediately.
How can I strengthen my gums at home?
It is also important to regularly remove gum stone and plaque from the gum pockets to address the problem of weak gums. Ultrasound is the most effective and yet, without injuring the gums.
Treat your own diet responsibly. Fortifying your gums and tooth enamel can help include cottage cheese, chicory, seaweed, broccoli, and fish in your diet.
Proper dietary habits, lack of smoking habits, regular visits to the dentist for preventive check-ups, dental hygiene with the use of ultrasound and fluoridation of teeth with professional gels are the key to strong teeth and a beautiful smile.