Happy New Year, Ya’ll: From Pediatric Dentistry of The Treasure Coast

To kick off the beginning of the year, I figured it would be helpful to share some dental knowledge with everyone! So, let’s look at how a tooth is put together. Teeth have three layers, just like a hard-boiled egg. Imagine you cut a hard-boiled egg in half. The three layers would be:

1. Eggshell – the hardest and thinnest layer
2. Egg white – the thickest and middle layer
3. Egg yolk – the softest and darkest layer

The corresponding layers of a tooth are

1. Enamel – this is what makes teeth look white. It’s the hardest and strongest layer.
2. Dentin – the thickest layer which makes up the bulk of the tooth. It has a medium softness.
3. Pulp – the central and most sensitive layer of the tooth. Also known as the “nerve”.

This is important because when dentists take X-rays of your teeth, they’re actually “reading” or checking on the structural health of each of the layers of your teeth. On the X-ray, a cavity looks like a shadow that pierces through the layers of the tooth. With this fundamental knowledge, you can now take some of the mystery out of dentistry. So, if a cavity or “shadow” was piercing through the top of your tooth, that would be a brushing problem. If the cavity is piercing through the side of your tooth, then that’s a flossing problem. This is why dentists always say “brush and floss” so that your teeth are clean in every direction!

Cavities are a completely preventable disease, so at Pediatric Dentistry of the Treasure Coast, what we like to do is focus on prevention! When your child stops by for their 6 month check up, we’re looking to see what guidance we can provide your child with to anticipate and prevent cavities before they even occur so that your child will never have to get a filling! If we can help your child have healthy teeth and along the way make it fun, easy, and informative, then we think that’s a win!