Tooth enamel is the hard white substance covering the crown of a tooth. It's actually the hardest substance in your whole body!
Along with dentin, cementum and dental pulp, enamel is one of the four major tissues that make up a tooth. Enamel is made up of minerals (calcium salts mostly), water and organic material. The proteins in enamel are not found elsewhere else and they are called enamelins and vamelogenins. Mature enamel has no cells and is not alive. The high concentration of minerals in enamel is what makes it so hard and most resistant to bacterial attack since there is little organic material present.
Enamel is translucent (semi-transparent) and ranges in color (white to light yellow) with the range of colors due to varying thickness.
Bacteria in the mouth cause plaque. The bacteria in plaque excrete acidic by-products as they digest sugar. This acidic excrement eats away at the enamel and wham, you get a cavity.
To prevent this from happening, dentists suggest you use a tooth paste with a good amount of fluoride in it as fluoride protects against tooth decay.
Along with dentin, cementum and dental pulp, enamel is one of the four major tissues that make up a tooth. Enamel is made up of minerals (calcium salts mostly), water and organic material. The proteins in enamel are not found elsewhere else and they are called enamelins and vamelogenins. Mature enamel has no cells and is not alive. The high concentration of minerals in enamel is what makes it so hard and most resistant to bacterial attack since there is little organic material present.
Enamel is translucent (semi-transparent) and ranges in color (white to light yellow) with the range of colors due to varying thickness.
Bacteria in the mouth cause plaque. The bacteria in plaque excrete acidic by-products as they digest sugar. This acidic excrement eats away at the enamel and wham, you get a cavity.
To prevent this from happening, dentists suggest you use a tooth paste with a good amount of fluoride in it as fluoride protects against tooth decay.
