enamel (redirected from enamels)

enamel /enam·el/ (ĕ-nam´'l)

1. the glazed surface of baked porcelain, metal, or pottery.

2. any hard, smooth, glossy coating.

3. dental enamel; the hard, thin, translucent substance covering and protecting the dentin of a tooth crown and composed almost entirely of calcium salts.

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mottled enamel  dental fluorosis: hypoplasia of the dental enamel caused by drinking water with a high fluorine content during the time of tooth formation; characterized by defective calcification that gives a white chalky appearance to the enamel, which gradually undergoes brown discoloration.

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e·nam·el (-nml)

n.

The hard, calcareous substance covering the exposed portion of a tooth.

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Enamel

The hard, white, outer layer of the tooth.

Mentioned in: Bruxism, Teeth Whitening, Tooth Decay, Tooth Replacements and Restorations, Toothache

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enamel

[inam′əl]

Etymology: OFr, esmail

the hard, white substance that forms the outermost covering of the clinical and anatomic crown of a tooth. It contains no nerves or blood vessels and is the hardest bony substance in the body. It is produced by epithelial cells called ameloblasts.

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enamel

(inam´l),
n 1. the hard, glistening tissue covering the anatomic crown of the tooth. It is composed mainly of hexagonal rods of hydroxyapatite, sheathed in an organic matrix (approximately 0.15%) and oriented with their long axes approximately at right angles to the surface.
n 2. the outermost layer or covering of the coronal portion of the tooth that overlies and protects the dentin.

enamel bonding,

v See bonding, enamel.

enamel hypocalcification

n a hereditary condition in which the enamel of the tooth has formed without adequate amounts of mineralization, leaving the surface of the tooth brittle and often stained.

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enamel

the white, compact and very hard substance covering and protecting the dentine of the crown of a tooth.

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enamel bulge

the area of greatest diameter of a tooth, just external to the gum line, which acts to deflect food from the free gingival margin and the gingival crevice.

enamel epithelium

epithelium which creates a bell-shaped enamel organ, surrounding the dental papilla; the internal epithelium consists of columnar ameloblasts which secrete enamel.

enamel hypoplasia

incomplete or partial development; a common defect in dogs.

inherited enamel defect

an inherited absence of enamel from all teeth combined with excessive flexibility of joints in Holstein-Friesian cattle. The teeth are pink and obviously deficient in substance. A defect in collagen formation is probable.

enamel layer

the outermost layer of cells of the enamel organ.

mottled enamel

dental fluorosis; defective enamel, with a chalky white appearance or brownish stain, caused by excessive amounts of fluorine in drinking water and food preparations during the period of enamel calcification.

enamel organ

an epithelial cap over a dental papilla that develops into the enamel-producing organ. The shape of the enamel organ determines the shape of the tooth.

enamel points

sharp projections of enamel at the junction of the buccal and occlusal surfaces of a tooth. Seen most commonly in horses.

enamel rods

progressively mineralized glycoproteinaceous tubules, the basic structural units of enamel; enamel is acellular and consists of interrod material and rods,

enamel spot

remnant of the enamel cup in the center of an incisor tooth table in a horse.

Enamel spot. By permission from Sack W, Wensing CJG, Dyce KM, Textbook of Veterinary Anatomy, Saunders, 2002

enamel works

factories manufacturing enamels or using them extensively; sources of fluorine for pollution of pasture and water.