What does remineralize mean?
Remineralize means to restore minerals to a material that has lost them. The word is especially common in dentistry, where it describes the redeposition of calcium and phosphate in tooth enamel after acids have dissolved minerals from the tooth surface. Remineralization can help repair very small areas of early enamel damage, although it cannot replace a filling once a cavity has formed. The term is also used in bone health, nutrition, and environmental science for the return or deposition of minerals in a depleted material or organism. Its use can be transitive, as in “remineralize enamel,” or intransitive, as when describing a substance capable of remineralizing. In general contexts, the word highlights recovery after depletion, distinguishing it from mineralize, which refers broadly to the introduction or formation of mineral material.
verbTo restore minerals to a depleted material, especially minerals lost from tooth enamel or bone. It can also refer to the process of depositing minerals in a substance.
- To restore minerals to a depleted substance, especially tooth enamel or bone.
- To undergo the deposition or restoration of minerals in a substance.
"Fluoride helps remineralize tooth enamel after acids remove minerals from its surface."
"A balanced diet supplies the calcium and phosphate needed to remineralize bone."
"Saliva helps remineralize the enamel of the teeth after they are exposed to acid."
Your teeth can repair tiny mineral losses through remineralization—but no toothpaste can rebuild a cavity once decay has destroyed the tooth itself.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of remineralize
The word combines the prefix re-, meaning “again,” with mineralize, from French minéraliser, based on Latin mineralis, meaning “pertaining to minerals.” The prefix expresses restoration after loss, a meaning that became especially important in dental and physiological descriptions during the 20th century. Mineral and its derivatives share the same Latin root, as do English words such as mineralogy and mineralogy's related scientific vocabulary.
Related word forms
How remineralize is actually used
Most common in dentistry and discussions of bone health. The spelling is remineralize in American English and remineralise in British English. It normally describes restoring minerals lost through demineralization rather than the initial process of mineral formation.
Easily confused with remineralize
Mineralize means to impregnate a material with minerals or convert it into a mineral substance, whereas remineralize specifically means to restore minerals that have been lost.