In order to take proper care of your teeth, it may help to understand what a dentist's first priority is and why. It may also help to know how they may choose to go about protecting that top priority. Your dentist's top concern is enamel protection. Why? Because the enamel is the outer layering of the tooth. The enamel is what protects your teeth, and it is what helps to make the teeth white. Without enamel, teeth would range in color from gray to orange and would break extremely easily. Here are some ways your dentist will try to preserve your enamel.

Treating cavities quickly and efficiently

The longer a cavity is left untreated, the more the enamel will get damaged. Also, when you have a cavity in one tooth, it can put the teeth next to it at risk. For these reasons, your dentist is going to want to give you a filling right away. If you think you may have a cavity, get in to see your dentist as quickly as you can for these same reasons.

Giving you fluoride supplements

If you aren't taking in enough fluoride and your dentist finds your enamel is thinner than it should be, then they may give you a prescription for some fluoride supplements. Some people are lacking the proper amount of fluoride for a variety of reasons, and one reason may be due to them drinking bottled water that doesn't contain fluoride or their area removes the fluoride when the water is being treated before it reaches their taps.

Adding protection to your teeth

In some cases, a person's teeth may be in good shape, but they may still be at risk due to the thinness of the enamel. Plus, you may not be happy with the darker color. In these cases, the dentist can help you in a number of ways. One of the things they can do is add some bonding onto the surfaces of your teeth.

They can have porcelain veneers made that can be put over your teeth. However, with the porcelain veneers, extra work and preparation is required, but for many, this is the better way to go because of the benefits it offers.

In cases of extremely thin enamel or where damage has started to take place, the dentist may even want to put full crowns on your teeth. Don't treat your teeth any differently with crowns because they can still be stained and damaged like real teeth can be, so respect the crowns.