Sensitive Teeth

Why are your teeth sensitive?

Do you ever feel a sudden painful sensation in your teeth when you drink hot coffee or eat cold ice cream? Perhaps eating candy or sour foods makes you cringe. Or maybe simply touching your teeth with a fork or toothbrush makes you jump with pain. Do you have to let the water warm up before brushing? The pain may be mild, tingly or sharp and intense.

Here's some common connections:

Sensitivity to cold water that seems to develop quite suddenly?
Have you bought a new tube of Toothpaste lately?? Tarter control or whitening toothpastes can cause good teeth to feel bad! Stop using those formulas. They are often too harsh, and they rarely do what they say they can do. Dr. Chuck and I just use plain Crest. You'll have to hunt for it on the bottom shelf and dust off the box. :) 

Also,.. a new paste called "Crest Pro Health" seems to make all our teeth sensitive in our office. We got samples of it last year and all started using it. Pretty quickly we were all complaining and we figured out that there is something about that formulation that is WAY too strong for many people.  

If you have good teeth that suddenly have generalized, very annoying sensitivity, check the brand of toothpaste you are using.

Shocking, sharp pain when you bite on one tooth from time to time.?
This is a condition called "Cracked Tooth Syndrome". Usually, the tooth has a large, old silver filling that is acting like a wedge in a log. We use high-tech, tiny cameras in peoples' mouths to find and treat these kinds of cracks. 

Don't ignore Cracked Tooth Syndrome! You will eventually need a root canal or extraction. (You can learn a lot more about this by clicking here -  "Cracked Tooth Syndrome".

More than one tooth that is sensitive when you bite down?
It is almost impossible to have "cracked tooth syndrome" on more than one tooth at the same time. Whenever patients complain of a few different teeth that they can't chew on without pain, we know it's a Grinding/Clenching habit. This can be related to increased life stress. It can come up after a new filling is placed. Severe clenching can be a habit that people don't even realize they have. In our office, we make a "night splint" that is remarkable in it's effectiveness for helping serious clenchers. 

This is not a "normal" night splint. The technique we use to make the splint makes 95% of patients symptom free because is has a very unique design. You can learn more by clicking here: TMJ Splint

Tender teeth when brushing?
This is usually from root exposure. Have you been brushing your teeth as if you are cleaning your barbecue grill??? If so, you have probably brushed your gums back enough to have exposed the dentin. Dentin is the porous part of the tooth below the enamel. The root of the tooth is not covered with enamel, ..so if you have receding gums, the dentin on the root may be exposed and particularly sensitive to cold or brushing.

Once the dentin is exposed, so are the tiny tubes inside the dentin that are filled with fluid. These tubes connect back to the center of the tooth where the nerve is located. The nerve becomes stimulated when the fluid inside the tube is triggered to move by eating sweet or acidic foods, or eating or drinking hot or cold foods or beverages. The result is pain.

First, you must learn to hold your toothbrush using only THREE fingers. 

Second, buy only "SOFT" toothbrushes. They will work even better, because the bristles will actually wiggle between your teeth better. 

Third, you can use very high Fluoridated toothpastes. (There are prescription pastes that really to a great job with this problem. Call us.) 

Fourth, you can switch to using a Sonicare toothbrush with the high Fluoride tooth pastes. Here's more about that: Sonicare 

What can the dentist do about tooth sensitivity if "home remedies" are not effective?

In our office we always encourage the patient to keep it simple, but if those measures fail then we have a number of options.

1.We can apply a special de-sensitizing agent called Hurri-seal, which coats the tooth for some time. This usually helps for as much as 2-3 months. 

2.We can give you a prescription for a special type of toothpaste that will strengthen the root surfaces. After about 2 weeks of regular use, this toothpaste will usually take care of the problems. Some folks have to use it every day to get the maximum benefit.  

3.We can refer you to a gum specialist for "grafting". This is a procedure where the periodontist takes a small amount of skin from the roof of your mouth and grafts it over the exposed tooth root.

 

What can you do about tooth sensitivity?

You don't have to suffer from dentinal hypersensitivity. Here are some ways to help treat your sensitivity:

- Brush with a desensitizing dentifrice such as Sensodyne®or Denguel® Toothpaste, you can have us prescribe a prescription strength toothpaste

- Brush properly, use only a soft bristle toothbrush such as Sensodyne®GENTLE, or consider a mechanical toothbrush like Sonicare®

- Floss daily

- Moderate your intake of acidic foods

- Have regular, routine dental checkups

How does the dentin become exposed? Some of the ways include:

- Brushing too hard along the gumline

- Recession of the gum

- Gum disease

- Periodontal treatment

- Dental surgery

- Fractured or chipped tooth

- Tooth wear at the gumline

- Teeth clenching or grinding, often during sleep

- Smoking