Minerals in Water that Damage or Stain Teeth
Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the body, even harder than bone. It is also the most mineralized substance, being 96 percent inorganic minerals.
In thinking about minerals, the first thing to do is distinguish between organic and inorganic minerals.
- Organic minerals come from plants and give us nutrients
- Inorganic minerals come from rock, sand, crystals and the like and cannot be digested
We can and should eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables to get a good intake of organic minerals like sodium, iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
However, water is called the “universal solvent” for good reason – it can dissolve hosts of inorganic and undesirable salts (minerals) that will build up in the body. Most water supplies contain inorganic minerals that do nothing for our health. Imagine trying to eat a nail. It may be made of iron, an essential nutrient without which we become anemic and weak; but it is inorganic iron and can’t be processed by the body.
What does the body do with inorganic minerals from water?
Being unable to excrete them, it stores them somewhere, such as in or on the teeth. Our teeth contain organic calcium that strengthens the enamel but inorganic calcium simply helps to harden plaque into tartar. Enamel also contains inorganic phosphorous and other minerals. When we leave bacteria on the teeth, they create lactic acid that demineralizes the teeth – weakens the enamel. This is how caries form.
- Inorganic iron, lead, and other biologically unusable minerals also contribute to tartar and create brown/yellow staining. It cannot be brushed off but your dental hygienist can use special implements to get it off and restore much of your enamel whiteness.
- Inorganic fluoride can occur naturally in water supplies, and is also added to many for the sake of creating harder tooth enamel. A certain amount of fluoride is indeed beneficial to the teeth but too much causes either mottling or brown or white staining.
It is a good idea to have your tap water tested for its contents. If you know what is in it, you can take informed action to protect your general and dental health more effectively.
Please call or email our Beverly Hills, California dental office if you would like to schedule a free consultation with Dr. Sands.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 at 6:57 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
