What is tooth enamel: structure, chemical composition and properties

Beautiful, healthy teeth give a person confidence, but they are also the key to the health of the human body. Despite the fact that tooth enamel is a fairly strong material, it still requires proper care, therefore, personal oral hygiene is very important and necessary in the daily life of everyone person.

Tooth enamel is a kind of protective shell and is considered the hardest tissue in the human body. The thing is that it contains the largest amount of inorganic substances, namely 97%, and the remaining 3% is 2% water and 1% organic matter. As for the thickness of the enamel coating, it may not be the same in different areas. For example, on the chewing part, it can be 1.5-1.6 mm, but on the side part and at the very base it is slightly less.

Chemical composition

Due to the presence in the enamel of a large number of various substances of organic, and especially inorganic origin, it is very strong. It contains minerals such as:

• hydroxyapatite, which consists of calcium ions - 75.04%;
• carbonate apatite - 12.6%;
• chlorapatite - 4.397%;
• calcium fluorine apatite - 3.548%;
• calcium carbonate - 2.668%;
• magnesium - 2.287%.

Chemical composition of inorganic compounds:

• calcium - 37%;
• phosphorus - 17%.

In addition, it should be noted that they are located differently in the enamel. For example, the outer layer contains the most lead, fluorine, zinc, as well as iron, but the least amount of magnesium is present. But copper, strontium, aluminum and potassium are located over the entire surface. In terms of organic composition, the main constituents are proteins, lipids and carbons.

Structure and structure

Human teeth perform a very important function for the body, as they allow you to eat food thoroughly chewing it, which in turn contributes to its fastest digestion. But few people know what a tooth consists of, and what is its structure. As for the structure itself, then, this is a crown and a root:

1. Crown. It is located above the gum line and is an enlarged part that participates in the chewing process.
2. Neck. It is a kind of union between the upper and lower part of the tooth, that is, between its visible and root parts.
3. Root. It is located directly below the gum line and thanks to it the tooth is anchored in the alveolar ridge of the jaw. The upper surface of the root is covered with a solid mixture of calcium and collagen fibers and is referred to as dental cement, which is the fastening material of the root to the alveolus.

As for the structure of the tooth, it consists of three main layers, these are pulp, dentin and enamel:

1. Pulp. It is a central soft connective tissue that is permeated with a mesh of blood vessels and nerve fibers.
2. Dentine. This is the main layer, which is very similar in structure to bone tissue, but has even greater strength and very high mineralization.
3. Enamel. Protective shell. Therefore, it is necessary to take appropriate care of it, since its damage can lead to various diseases, not only of the oral cavity.

Functions

The most important function of the dental coating is considered to be the protection of dentin and pulp from external mechanical and chemical influences, as well as protection from temperature irritants. And thanks to its high hardness, the enamel allows the teeth to realize their direct purpose, that is, to bite off and chew on the food they consume.

In addition, teeth play an important role in the correct formation of speech and the formation of sounds. It is also part of the smile that allows you to betray a person with confidence, which is very necessary for a full life in society.

Anatomical and histological structure

In its structure, the enamel consists of enamel prisms and interprismatic substance.

Enamel prisms

They consist of an enamel-forming cell - ameloblast. A characteristic feature of the enamel prism is that it crosses the enamel surface along all its thickness, without interruption. And they are located clearly perpendicular to the dento-enamel joint.

Interprismatic enamel

The only difference from the prismatic is the direction of the crystals. Namely, enamel beams and plates pass through the entire thickness of the coating and are considered hypomineralized zones. Lapellas (plates) are a kind of defects that are present in the enamel, and, importantly, include mainly organic components. Which, in turn, can promote the penetration of bacteria into the enamel structure, and the result is the formation of caries.

In addition, in the interprismal space, there are peripheral processes of odontoblasts, which are responsible for pain sensitivity. This is due to the fact that the very body of the odontoblast itself is located in the pulp, but the processes reach the enamel itself.

Caries susceptibility

Although the dental coating is a very strong material, it is nevertheless exposed to mechanical and chemical stress, which in turn are prerequisites for such a disease as caries.

Caries susceptibility, is a susceptibility to carious lesions, can occur due to:

• inadequate maturation of the dental coating in the process of eruption;
• malnutrition, that is, the presence in food of a large amount of carbohydrates, but at the same time with a minimum presence of proteins, as well as micro and macro elements;
• drinking water that contains a minimum amount of fluoride;
• absence of pellicle on the tooth surface;
• violation of the composition of saliva, namely its concentration, viscosity and the amount of salivation;
• the presence of an incomplete chemical composition;
• a possible error in the development of the tooth obtained with general somatic diseases.

Diseases

Each person tries to keep his teeth healthy and beautiful, therefore he cleans them, uses special rinsing lotions and other care products. But in most cases, diseases occur for a number of reasons that a person does not pay due attention to. The main types of the disease are:

Tooth enamel defect

The prerequisite for its occurrence is non-carious disorders associated with problems inside the human body at the stage of development of the protective shell of the tooth. For example, during pregnancy, as well as in the first months of a baby's life, immediately before the beginning of the eruption of the first teeth. But problems may also arise after the eruption of deciduous and molar teeth.

Pathological abrasion

Often it can manifest itself on the basis of neurological pathologies, especially during the period of adolescence, although it very often occurs in adults.

A prerequisite may be severe stress, or simply there is a hereditary factor.

Wedge-shaped defect

This name of the disease was the V-shaped shape of the tooth, caused by a violation of the outer side in its cervical region. The cause of the disease is considered to be an incorrectly selected brush in terms of rigidity, rather frequent use of a paste with the presence of abrasive particles, as well as an incorrect bite. In addition, it may be a lack of essential trace elements in the body or lack of oral hygiene.

Hyperplasia

It is expressed in excess enamel in the form of build-ups. Often, this formation in appearance resembles a small pearl or resembles a drop that is located at the base of the neck.

Erosion

A very common disease, but little understood. It is quite problematic to detect it at the initial stage, so sometimes patients already deal with severely damaged enamel. Disorders of the endocrine system, the use of drugs, which contribute to the destruction and demineralization of the tooth surface, are mainly considered prerequisites for its occurrence.

Regeneration

Unfortunately, the enamel coating is designed in such a way that it does not have the ability to naturally recovery. But today there are ways that allow reinforce it, which in turn contributes to an increase in resistance to external influences.

For example, if there is serious destruction, then in dentistry, calcium phosphate is used, which is in an amorphous state. Such a composition is applied to the tooth surface, where a chemical reaction begins, namely the conversion of calcium phosphate into apatite (natural enamel apatite).

Thanks to this method, it is possible not only to remove defects, but also to eliminate the increased sensitivity of a diseased tooth. In addition, this procedure allows you to give an aesthetic appearance.

Personal hygiene

In order to avoid the occurrence of diseases of the oral cavity, the need for personal hygiene is an integral part of every person's life. The thing is that when eating food, when chewing, tiny particles of it remain between the teeth, which provoke the development caries.

And this, in turn, can lead to even more serious diseases not only of the oral mucosa, but of the body as a whole.

Since the resulting damage to the enamel coating, inflammation of the gums promotes the penetration of microbes into the body, which can cause illness of one or another human organ.

Oral hygiene includes daily brushing of teeth with brushes and special pastes, you can also use threads, special powder. You can also purchase matching mouth rinses.

What elements are needed for strong enamel

Nutrition is the main source of replenishment of the body with essential nutrients, vitamins and essential micro and macro elements that are vital for every person. Therefore, first of all, you need to revise your diet and include foods that have the maximum amount of nutrients. This also applies to teeth, because their strength also depends on the intake of the necessary components in the body.

These include:

1. One of the main components in the body is calcium + fluoride + vitamin D. They are fundamental, since their presence contributes to the formation of bone tissue, including enamel.
2. Vitamins of group B, which contribute to the proper formation of the gums, and, accordingly, this will allow the teeth to strengthen well, and they will not loosen.
3. Vitamin C. Vitamin C is a very important component not only for the oral cavity, but also for the body as a whole. Its main ability is that its use reduces the likelihood of occurrence bleeding gums, loosening of the teeth, and will also reduce the risk of infections and formation ulcers.
4. Vitamin E helps to increase the regeneration of the oral cavity, and also helps to reduce the sensitivity and susceptibility of the mucous membrane to mechanical damage.
5. Vitamins from the PP group provide an opportunity to reduce the likelihood of oral pathologies.
6. Vitamin A. In its absence, there are violations of the process of salivation, roughness of the surface of the tooth enamel.

The presence of such components will prevent the possibility of diseases of the oral cavity, but also directly of the enamel. The use of products with such elements will be the key to the strength and health of your teeth.