Harder than bone, the enamel on your teeth is actually the hardest substance found in the human body. It is made up of various minerals that account for its strength, but unlike bone, it contains no collagen. The purpose of enamel is, of course, to protect the tooth from harm. For the most part, enamel does an excellent job of keeping the elements at bay, but most of us know from experience that sometimes even those defenses can be worn down. A swift blow from a hard object can crack or break the surface of a tooth and over time, grinding the teeth together can cause the enamel to be worn thin. Aside from trauma, sugar is the worst enemy of tooth enamel. Left alone on the teeth long enough and sugar will begin to break down into a type of acid which eventually eats its way through the surface of the tooth and that is how cavities are formed.

Underneath the enamel is a substance called dentin, which comprises the majority of the tooth's structure. The dentin is softer than the enamel and can range in color from light grey to a prominent shade of yellow. Since enamel is semi translucent, the underlying dentin can often be the culprit of discolored teeth. This fact is one of the reasons that certain types of teeth whitening treatments are not as effective from one person to the next.

Dental Veneers are generally made out of porcelain which is basically a manmade version of enamel. It is also made from minerals and has the same translucent quality which makes it ideal for use in cosmetic dentistry. Like enamel, Dental Veneers have a fine balance of strength versus brittleness. They can be a perfect match for a set of pearly white teeth, but they need to be maintained and cared for just like the ones you were born with and are susceptible to the same outside influence.