What is tooth enamel?

Tooth enamel is made up of mostly minerals, primarily hydroxyapatite. If it is destroyed, your body does not make more to replace it as it does not contain any living cells, so it cannot regenerate.

Enamel is the hardest part of your body (even harder than your bones!). It’s found on the outer surface of your teeth, it is semi translucent so the colour can vary from light yellow to a greyish white.

Enamel is important as it helps protect your teeth from decay and protects the sensitive inner layers of your teeth. You can protect your enamel by avoiding sugary and acidic foods and drinks that are known to cause damage and also avoiding hard foods, like candy or ice cubes, as this may cause your enamel to crack or chip.

Ian, the Mosman dentist. Dentist Mosman.

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