What Makes the Enamel of Your Teeth Hard and How Can You Protect It from Damage

If you think your bone is the hardest part of your body, then you are mistaken. This title belongs to the enamel, the outer layer of the tooth. Because of the components it is made up of, tooth enamel ranks 5 on Mohs hardness scale which makes it about as hard as a steel knife. Enamel provides protection to the nerves present within the tooth. In a recent study, published in the journal Nature, scientists examined the structure of enamel to find the reason behind the strength of the enamel.What is enamel made up of?

Around 95% to 98% of the structure of enamel is made up of calcium and phosphate ions that make strong hydroxyapatite crystals. These are not pure crystals as they contain traces of other minerals such as strontium, magnesium, lead, and fluoride.What makes enamel extremely hard?

To examine the structure of enamel, scientists from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, USA tested a few samples of it that were cooled with liquid nitrogen to around minus 298 degrees Fahrenheit. These samples were then examined with the help of cryogenic electron microscopy.

This test showed the exact structure of enamel crystallite and its hydroxylapatite molecules. The scientists found that the crystal structure of enamel was not clear as it showed dark regions of distortion. These distortions were caused by two nanometric layers enriched with magnesium, sodium, fluoride and certain carbonate ion impurities which were near the core of the crystal structure.

It was found that these irregularities produce strain in the structure of the enamel. But the test also showed contradictory data which stated that these irregularities and the core-shell structure of the enamel make it more resilient.

The scientists believe that by studying more about the structure of the enamel, they will be able to find a way to prevent lack of mineralisation in teeth during the formation of enamel (before they erupt in the mouth).How to protect your enamel from getting damaged?

There are certain things that can be done to prevent your tooth enamel from getting damaged:

For more information, read our article on Cavities (Dental Caries).Health articles on News18 are written by myUpchar.com, India’s first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.