Tag: cavities reno nv

Getting To Know Your Tooth Enamel

Posted on by Wager-Evans Dental

Tooth enamel is one of the four major tissues that make up teeth. Enamel is the hard outer surface that protects the underlying layers. It is also the hardest and most mineralized substance in your body.

Ninety-six percent of tooth enamel is composed of minerals, while the remaining percentage consists of water and organic material. The main mineral in enamel is hydroxylapatite which is also known as crystalline calcium phosphate.

The Role of Tooth Enamel

The main role of tooth enamel is to protect the soft layer of dentin. Enamel also serves as a hard surface for chewing, grinding, and crushing food.

Enamel is semi-translucent and porous. Eating dark foods and drinking dark beverages, such as red wines, coffee, or soda, can cause the enamel to discolor and stain. Smoking, age, and certain medications also cause tooth stains. A beautiful smile is a white smile, so if your teeth are stained, consider professional, safe teeth whitening prescribed by Dr. Wager and Dr. Evans.

Enamel Erosion

Even though enamel is the hardest substance in your body, it is susceptible to damage. The food you eat contains sugars and starches, and when these components mix with saliva, they form acid. The acid extracts minerals from tooth enamel, weakening it. Then bacteria invade and cause decay, or cavities. Acidic foods, like citrus fruits, tomatoes, and carbonated beverages, also erode tooth enamel. Your tooth enamel doesn’t remain soft forever. Saliva will remineralize and re-harden the enamel within 30 minutes to an hour after you stop eating and drinking. Continue reading “Getting To Know Your Tooth Enamel” →

Stay Away from a Mouth Full of Metal

Posted on by Wager-Evans Dental

If you had a cavity filled when you were younger, it’s extremely likely that it was filled with a dark, amalgam filling, which were initially developed from a combination of silver, zinc, copper, tin, and mercury. Over time, these fillings wear down and can start to deteriorate. Often, this deterioration can lead to leakage, which allows you to come in contact with these heavy-metal materials, which can be harmful to your health. This leakage can also lead to further tooth decay.

Traditional fillings are dark in color and, therefore, draw attention away from your otherwise bright, white smile. To avoid these cosmetic and health problems that are associated with amalgam fillings, we use metal-free composite resin to create dependable, natural-looking dental fillings.

Metal-free fillings will protect your oral health and keep your smile’s appearance intact. If you need to have a cavity filled, we will tint the composite resin so that your restoration blends in with your surrounding tooth structure. All-white fillings bond directly to your tooth, so your restoration is durable and functions just like a natural tooth would. These fillings also allow for less removal of healthy tooth, so they are a conservative treatment option for cavities and tooth decay.

We’re Dr. William Wager and Dr. Brian Evans, and we encourage you to call our office at (775) 800-4845 to make an appointment so that we can discuss transforming and restoring your smile with all-white fillings. Wager Evans Dental, conveniently located in Reno, Nevada, serves families from Spanish Springs, Sparks, Incline Village, Dayton, Fernley, and the surrounding areas.