How to repair tooth enamel
The enamel on our teeth is the outer clear layer, it is the protective layer and is the hardest substance in the human body. Enamel is 98% calcium and phosphate in a form of mineral referred to as apatite.
Can you repair enamel
You can repair enamel in many situations. In most cases if the enamel has not been breached or penetrated then there is an opportunity to repair it using a natural process called remineralisation. If the enamel has been breached, in the case of cavities or a tooth that has been chipped then the tooth cannot be repaired without the intervention of a dentist.
What is remineralisation
Remineralisation is the process of adding back enamel / ‘apatite’ to the tooth, effectively you are repairing the enamel. Your teeth go through a natural process of losing minerals (demineralising enamel) and gaining minerals (remineralising enamel). When the loss is greater than the gain then cavities will ultimately form. As you lose enamel your teeth can show white spots, be translucent, be more prone to staining and be more sensitive to pain.
How long does it take to repair enamel? / How long does it take to remineralise teeth?
This is one of those how long is a piece of string questions. It depends on how much enamel has been lost, how much demineralisation is occurring and how you do it. In short it does take time, it’s not an overnight process it can take months or years. A high-performance remineralising toothpaste like BioMin can however help reduce the time to repair enamel considerably.
How do remineralising toothpastes work?
Good remineralising toothpaste contain 3 essential ingredients, calcium, phosphate and fluoride. The delivery of those ingredients is key to achieving results. The calcium and the phosphate need to be held apart until needed, they then combine with the fluoride to help create fluorapatite. Fluorapatite the dental preferred form of apatite it is harder and more acid resistant that natural apatite and helps to preserve the enamel longer.
Stop the demineralisation
To repair enamel you first need to fix the cause of the damage. Think of it like a bucket with a hole. To fill the bucket the hole has to leak less water than is being put in.  Most enamel damage (demineralisation / decay) is caused by acidity in the mouth literally slowly dissolving the tooth’s enamel. The acidity comes from either consuming acidic foods or from bacteria on our teeth that convert sugars into acids. To reduce demineralisation / enamel erosion, you need to 1. cut back on the acid intake 2. reduce the sugars that feed the acid causing bacteria. 3. Reduce the bacteria by destroying their homes (plaque). For an extra boost you can use an acid neutralising toothpaste such as BioMin.
The 3 steps to repair your enamel.
 1.  Improve your diet.
Stop feeding the source of decay. Reduce the amount of acidic foods and importantly reduce the sugars and simple carbohydrates.
2.  Remove the plaque and tartar.
Plaque is a home for decay causing bacteria, evict the bacteria by good brushing technique and 6 monthly trips to the dentist for an extra deep clean.
3.  Use a remineralising toothpaste with calcium and phosphate and preferably fluoride.
The delivery of calcium and phosphate is key, BioMin F (fluoride) and BioMin C (Fluoride Free) are high performance remineralising toothpastes, the result of 10 years and 7 PhDs of university research. BioMin’s slow release delivery mechanism helps to neutralise acids the cause of decay. BioMin promotes enamel repair by delivering calcium and fluoride to the tooth’s surface. BioMin F helps strengthen the enamel and drive the rate of remineralisation through the use of low levels of fluoride, enabling a deeper subsurface repair to occur. (compared to high dose 9,000 ppm fluoride gel).
