One of the biggest issues dentists and patients face today is the impact of lifestyle and diet which dissolves and damages tooth enamel. When it comes to Tooth Wear and Erosion, making lifestyle  changes is the number one solution. 

It might mean stopping lemon juice in water drinks every morning; switching from sodas to water, and everything in moderation.  Prevention is also important.  Dr Andrea Shepperson shares her top recommended products to protect from further Tooth Wear and Erosion.

Low-Abrasion Toothpastes

Acid affected teeth can be further damaged by an abrasive toothpaste, so it’s important to chose one that won’t harm your teeth.  Dentists know that toothpastes are rated by their RDA (Relative Dentine Abrasivity Index) value.  What is that?  It’s essentially a scoring factor and indicates how much tooth structure is lost over a period of brushing due to the abrasive particles in a toothpaste.  To help we’ve created a table of RDA values below. Is your regular toothpaste on this list? And how abrasive is it?

There are several toothpastes that we recommend to minimise damage to teeth from Tooth Wear and Erosion.  Our favourite is a gentle low-abrasion Oxyfresh Toothpaste .  With an RDA value of 45, Oxyfresh has carefully formulated a super concentrated, distinct blend of ingredients to provide you with the most gentle, low abrasion toothpaste available.  It contains xylitol and has a version for patients who don’t like SLS – sodium laurel sulfate – a foaming agent that is found in most toothpastes.

OTC  Brands

Several Over The Counter (OTC) brands are also gentle on teeth.  We like ClinPro Tooth Creme.  It contains TCP – a remineralising agent that repairs damaged enamel.  ProNamel is very gentle and It works by locking in repairing minerals to help repair microdamage and rebuild enamel strength..  ProNamel is made by Sensodyne and most Sensodyne brands are very gentle on teeth.  They help with sensitive teeth too, forming a protective plug on teeth to help reduce pain to cold.

Tooth Mousse

We recommend incorporating the GC Tooth Mousse into your at-home oral health care routine to prevent Tooth Wear and Erosion. This calcium rich paste tastes good and is able to boost the chemistry of the mouth to encourage softened enamel to repair and remineralise.  Made from casein, this Tooth Mousse comes in a variety of flavours such as Melon, Strawberry, Mint and Vanilla.  Not suitable for those allergic to milk products.

Biotene Mouthwash & Spray

Saliva is part of nature’s protective mechnism in rebuilding damaged teeth and protecting them from acids and tooth wear.  If you don’t have enough saliva, the rate of wear will be much faster.  Read our blog on the importance of saliva.

If you are short of saliva and suffer from a dry mouth, we highly recommend a lubricating mouthwash. Biotene Mouthwash is an excellent option and the Biotene line also offers a moisturising spray bottle which is easy to carry in your pocket or handbag.

Biotene Mouthwash and/or Spray is an ideal oral rinse for managing your dry mouth and giving added protection when nature or medication have reduced saliva flow. Biotène Mouthwash contains a mouth-moisturising system to provide soothing relief.

Read more about dry mouth and the impact on teeth in our latest blog.

Baking Soda

A home-made rinse in a water bottle is a handy neutraliser for patients who are suffering from gastric acid attack, or are affected by dietary acids. This is also helpful for patients who are suffering morning sickness, eating disorders or any condition that generates vomiting.

A simple solution to keep at home involves ½ teaspoon baking soda dissolved in warm water.  Rinse thoroughly several times and spit out.  This will shift the chemistry of the mouth and reduce the chance of tooth damage.

Branded soda water is great if don’t want to make your own,  A commercially available brand such as Shweppes  is best.  It needs to contain sodium bicarbonate (baking soda).  Soda Stream is not suitable, as it contains another acid (carbonic acid) and doesn’t have baking soda. Carbonated waters alone, such as soda stream can have a pH as low as 3-4, and this could be damaging to teeth.

Health Trends

Be wary of health trends and fads, such as Lemon Detox and Apple Cider Vinegar drinks.  Both can have devastating consequences for teeth, dissolving tooth enamel and creating very worn, yellow, sensitive teeth.

Lemon Juice contains citric acid, the most potent natural chemical for teeth.  We advise drinking only through a straw, and rinsing afterwards with water or baking soda in water.

Apple Cider Vinegar creates loss of tooth structure in two ways:

1. Acetic acid (vinegar) dissolves teeth
2. Sugars from apple juice cause decay.

We have seen devastating consequences from this combination in patients and strongly discourage the use of this health trend.

All of these recommended protective products are sold at Lumino City Dental at Quay Park.  If you would like to find out more about these products, call our experienced team today on (09) 919 2660 or email us.