Understanding and Caring for Teeth Without Enamel
Having teeth without enamel is a developmental defect and can be caused by genetics or a predisposed occurrence. Under 10% of children’s primary teeth are affected by this condition and those that suffer from teeth without enamel have options to manage the condition well.
This article will outline what causes teeth without enamel and what you can do about it.
Table of Contents
Understanding Teeth Without Enamel
To understand the significants of teeth without enamel, it’s best to understand what leads to teeth with no enamel, the causes, and why enamel is important in the first place.
There are two general conditions that lead to teeth without enamel. Those two conditions are:
Enamel Hypoplasia
This is a condition that leads to a defect in the size or shape of a tooth or a complete lack of development of teeth. It can affect the developing baby and/or adult teeth.
Check out our article A Guide to Enamel Hypoplasia to learn more.
Enamel Hypomineralization
This is a genetic condition with decreased mineral content in the teeth. The tooth can erupt with thinner enamel layers or start to disintegrate the tooth enamel after the eruption.
Causes of Teeth Without Enamel
The causes of teeth without enamel can occur in utero or postpartum. Both enamel hypoplasia and enamel hypomineralization can be caused by several predisposing factors. Some of those factors are the following:
- Genetic disorders like Seckel Syndrome, Ellis-Van Creveld Syndrome, and Usher Syndrome
- Poor nutrition during pregnancy or infancy
- Serious illness during the first two years of life
- Infection during pregnancy or infancy
- Exposure to certain substances during pregnancy or infancy
- Trauma to the teeth or jaw
If you think you are suffering from teeth with no enamel, this could be one of the causes. The best thing you can do is bring your concerns to your dentist and see what recommendations they have for your specific situation.
Teeth With No Enamel: Why Enamel is Important
Enamel is the hardest and most mineralized substance in the body. It’s the outermost layer of the tooth that serves as the protective shell. Enamel defends against acids, sugar, plaque, bacteria, and external forces.
In short, strong enamel is the best defense against cavities, which makes teeth with no enamel very vulnerable.
Without enamel, our teeth are much more prone to cavities and to other oral health related issues. Teeth with no enamel are missing the first and best line of defense against cavities which means you will need to be more diligent about your oral health practices.
How to Protect Your Teeth With No Enamel
There are several things you can do to protect teeth without enamel. Preventative care is the best way to avoid dental accidents and keep your smile strong and healthy. This means putting great oral hygiene care into practice.
The best things you can do to protect teeth with no enamel are the following:
- Home Care: Establishing strong oral hygiene practices is very important to all teeth, but especially to teeth with no enamel. Brushing twice a day for 2 minutes and flossing daily can help you improve your home care.
- Check out our article Guide to a Healthy Smile to learn more about how you can improve your oral home care.
- Healthy Nutrition: To protect your teeth with no enamel, avoid foods with high sugar and acid content. Our Dental Nutrition Guide can help you build a strong diet for your smile.
- Routine Dental Visits: It’s important to see your dental hygienist and dentist at least every 6 months for preventative care. They are best equipped to handle any complications that come from teeth without enamel.
- Fluoride Products: Compromised enamel cannot remineralize itself. Use at-home products with Fluoride as the active ingredient. Your dental clinician may recommend prescription Fluoride toothpaste and in-office treatments.
Restorations for Teeth Without Enamel
Dental Crowns
This restorative process is a common treatment for compromised enamel. Your dentist and dental assistant will prep the tooth for a permanent tooth-shaped cap. Crowns are fabricated with strong materials like metal, porcelain fused to metal, ceramic, or resin.
Tooth Bonding
Dental bonding is a minimal procedure done to teeth that are minimally compromised. Your dental professionals will choose the perfect shade of resin material to build up and cover the tooth.
Dental Sealant
Dental sealants are a very important protective procedure. It is a thin, plastic coating applied to the grooves of the teeth. It provides a protective shield against destructive forces. Dental sealants are 80% effective in preventing cavities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if your teeth have no enamel?
Teeth without enamel are highly compromised. They are very susceptible to rampant cavities that can cause infections in the body. The absence of enamel can also cause high dental sensitivity to temperatures and pressure.
Can a tooth survive without enamel?
The very high risk of cavities that comes with a lack of enamel makes the survival rate low. Your dental professional can place a restoration to act as the protection a tooth needs.
Does tooth enamel grow back?
Once enamel is gone, it cannot grow back. Enamel can remineralize and strengthen but only to a certain degree. Enamel hypoplasia and enamel hypomineralization usually don’t qualify for self-remineralization.
What does enamel loss look like?
Compromised enamel loses that smooth white finish. The tooth may appear yellow or grey. It can also look like white patchy blotches. The tooth may appear round and develop weak ridges.
Tooth No Enamel & Teeth No Enamel
Take Home Smile Store
Visit our Take Home Smile store for educational brochures and other fun printables to help with oral hygiene. All products can be customized to fit your dental needs.
I am reaching out for the first time about my teeth. I must start by saying I have been in battle with my teeth every since I was a child, due to the fact that at 1 years old I severely burnt my right leg 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree burns and while in the hospital in the 80’s (I was told later in life) that my body temperature was either to high at one moment and then plummet the next so the gave me meds that were still experimental at the time(and I do not know the name of the meds), so one of the side effects ended up leaving my teeth’s enamel week and I have fight cavities all my life, now at the age of 42 my teeth have all decided to lose the enamel all together on a couple of teeth, I have broken one or two right down to the gum line, on and on and on. To the point where I can only eat on one side of my mouth and I can only eat certain foods, which isn’t a lot. I know I most likely will need extraction which will need replaced along with some type of treatment for the few teeth that have lost the enamel completely. So the reason for this inquiry is to see if you know of a practice that could or would help a person that does not have insurance and have not had a job since the pandemic hit, and that was the time when my teeth decided to all go crude all at the same time, and I do believe my smile has been a unfortunate great factor on the reason why I can not seem to get a call back for a job.
I live in Hockessin Delaware and don’t have the means to travel to far.
Please I could really use the help from somewhere.
Thank you for your time and the time to read my inquiry
J. Steffe
Hello.
I’m so sorry for your pain – mouth and teeth pain are excruciating. I am unfamiliar with the area and do not have any direct contact to give you. I would recommend reaching out to the nearest dental school or dental hygiene school. They do excellent work and have more time to care for their patients compared to private practice. There are also free dentistry days – check out some local Facebook groups. Where I am located, free dentistry days are usually in February. Certain hospitals may also have dental clinics in them.