Your smile is what you use to greet the world. It shows people that you are a friendly and approachable person, and is a window into your heart. A great smile is due to great teeth, and great teeth are maintained with help from a great dentist. Be sure that you make regular trips to see your local dentist so that you can keep your teeth shiny and healthy. Not only will this make your smile brighter, but it will also keep you healthier so that you can live a longer and more productive life.
The Importance of Healthy Teeth
Your teeth are complex and fascinating organs that allow you to chew food and even help you form the sounds that you need to talk. While they may look like a single solid piece of bone or cartilage, your teeth are neither. Instead they contain a central nerve cell surrounded by layers of proteins and minerals such as calcium. The very outer layer of the tooth is called the enamel, and is the part of the body with the greatest concentration of calcium and other minerals – even greater than in bone!
While teeth are very sturdy, they are also subject to a lot of wear and tear. Since your mouth is used to chew food, teeth are constantly being gnashed and ground together to chew food and break it down for swallowing. All of this grinding can start to wear away the enamel layer of the teeth, especially if you unknowingly grind your teeth in your sleep. The acid from foods or from your stomach can also wear away this layer, exposing the more vulnerable dentin layer of the tooth.
In addition to and compounding these wear issues, your mouth is filled with bacteria and these bacteria can also damage teeth. Bacteria in your mouth are usually not the infectious type, but they live there at all times just the same. When you eat food containing sugar, the bacteria eat some of the sugars. Through complex biological methods, these bacteria release acid in response to the sugar intake. Thus whenever you eat sugar, the bacteria in your mouth start to wear down your teeth.
Dentists Save Smiles
All of this wear and tear on your teeth can compromise the integrity of your smile. To restore it back to its best, you should seek out a dentist in Tauranga who can meet your dental hygiene needs. Worn away tooth enamel can lead to the formation of a cavity. This can eventually reach the nerve of your tooth, causing pain, swelling, and tooth loss.
Luckily for you, qualified dentists can restore small cavities with a quick and simple filling made of metal or amalgam. By drilling a hole in the tooth and killing the bacteria that are present, dentists can eliminate the problem before it spreads. Once the cavity is removed and the filling is inserted you will be on your way to a healthy smile. Even if you don’t have cavities to deal with, dentists in your area will be able to provide you with screenings for oral cancer and will be able to help you get the whiter smile you deserve to boost your confidence.
