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Enamel is the thin, translucent, hard outer layer of the teeth that protects them from the daily stress of chewing, biting and grinding; temperatures of hot and cold foods and drinks; and erosive acids. Despite being the toughest tissue in your body, a variety of factors can cause enamel erosion, or loss of enamel. Loss of enamel increases teeth sensitivity, exposes stains on teeth, increases vulnerability to cavities and decay, and creates rough and irregular teeth edges and dents on teeth surfaces.

Erosive Acids

Enamel loss is primarily caused by erosive acids that wear away enamel over time. Excessive consumption of soft drinks, which contain high amounts of phosphoric and citric acids, and other acidic drinks and foods, such as fruit drinks and sour foods or candies, is the leading cause of acid-related enamel loss. Frequent consumption of medicines and supplements containing high acid content, including aspirin, antihistamines and vitamin C supplements, also cause enamel loss. Stomach acids brought up to the mouth from acid reflux disease, or heartburn, and other gastrointestinal problems can also erode enamel. This includes stomach acids brought up from frequent vomiting due to bulimia, alcoholism or binge drinking.

Environmental Factors

Environmental factors in the mouth, or the physical wear and tear from daily friction and stress on the teeth, are another contributing factor of enamel loss. Environmental causes of enamel loss include friction from clenching or grinding your teeth, especially during sleep, and wear and tear from brushing your teeth too hard, improper flossing, biting hard objects or chewing tobacco. Stress fractures, or chips and cracks in the enamel, cause permanent enamel damage because enamel does not contain any living cells to help the body repair these fractures.

Low Saliva Production

Acid- and environmental-related enamel loss are even more likely if you have a dry mouth or low saliva production. Saliva strengthens both your teeth and their enamel by coating them with calcium and other strengthening minerals. Saliva also protects against enamel erosion by diluting and washing away erosive acids and other wastes leftover from foods and drinks and by producing substances that fight against mouth bacteria and disease that can cause enamel loss. While a healthy amount of saliva production can protect enamel from the erosive effects of acidic foods and drinks, excessive consumption of acidic foods and drinks decreases saliva production and saliva’s ability to strengthen teeth and enamel.

Plaque Build-Up

An excessive build-up of plaque can also contribute to enamel loss. Plaque is a thin, sticky coating made of saliva, food particles and bacteria that forms between teeth, inside holes or pits in your molars, and at the gum line. Some of the bacteria found in plaque can change food starches into acids that wear down enamel over time by eating away at its healthy minerals. As long as plaque continues to build up in your teeth, the acids in plaque will continuously erode enamel.

Allergic reactions to food may be an inconvenience or mild annoyance or could be severe and life threatening. According to the Cleveland Clinic, a small number of foods are responsible for the majority of allergic reactions to foods. Although most allergic reactions to foods develop during childhood, new allergies to food may develop in adulthood as well.

Significance

Allergic reactions to food result from an excessive response by the immune system to a protein in food. According to the Cleveland Clinic, 8 percent of children and 1 to 2 percent of adults in the United States have some type of food allergy. Allergic reactions to food can be mild and short-lived or could be severe—even fatal—if not urgently treated.

Types

According to the Mayo Clinic, allergic reactions to food may be moderate allergies or severe anaphylaxis. Some allergic reactions may be induced by exercising shortly after eating. Other types of allergic reactions may result from cross-reactivity of proteins in vegetables and fruits to pollen in the air.

Features

According to the Cleveland Clinic, the six foods that most frequently cause allergic reactions in children are cow’s milk, wheat, soy, tree nuts, eggs and peanuts. In adults, the most common allergic reactions to foods are from peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish and fish. According to the Mayo Clinic, cooked fruits and vegetables will not cause allergic reactions.

Identification

Food allergies may be diagnosed by a doctor after exposure to a food that caused an allergic reaction. Allergic reactions to food may also be identified by tests done in a doctor’s office. Either a skin scratch test using common allergens or an antibody blood test may be done to diagnose allergies to specific foods.

Considerations

Food labels may use many different names for certain ingredients. Milk may also be identified as casein, whey, whey protein, sodium caseinate, or lactoglobulin.
Food allergies are more common during childhood and may be outgrown. Children who are breast-fed are less likely to develop allergies than those who are fed formula.

Prevention/Solution

The best way to prevent allergic reactions to food is to avoid known allergens and get tested after an allergy is suspected. Waiting until after six months of age to feed an infant solid foods may prevent allergies from occurring. Reading food labels and avoiding unlabeled foods may prevent allergic reactions. People who are prone to severe allergic reactions to foods should carry their medicine and an allergy card that identifies the allergies.

Warning

Cross-contamination of foods prepared in restaurants may result in exposure to an offending food. A person who has dizziness, difficulty breathing, or fainting after eating a food should call emergency medical services. Severe allergic reactions to food require immediate medical treatment due to the risk of shock or death.