Enamel can refer to a couple of things. When you say enamel, you might be talking about tooth enamel, which is the white, visible part of our teeth. Tooth enamel is made out of different kinds of mineral, some organic materials (carbon- containing compounds), and water. But you might also be talking about "vitreous enamel" which is used to coat the surfaces of metals and ceramics. Vitreous enamel is made by melting glass over the surface of the object you're trying to coat. It is smooth and often looks somewhat shiny.

However, we call other things enamel. There's enamel paint, which is totally different, and there's also porcelain enamel, which is used to make a lot of dishes. Enamel paint is usually any paint that gives a glossy (shiny) finish and is fairly durable, so you'll often see it used for painting floors. Porcelain enamel is just a bunch of powdered glass that's squished together and then melted to make a durable (glass) coating.

Enamel is a layer of hard mineral that covers the outsides of our teeth and protects them from damage from what we are eating, as well as from bacteria or other disease-causing things.