Sensitive Teeth
Causes of Sensitive Teeth
Have you started avoiding hot or cold drinks due to them making your teeth hurt? If the answer is yes, it is time to talk to the team at Family Care Dental about tooth sensitivity. We can help find the cause and find a solution to address the sensitivity.
Tooth Enamel Loss
Enamel is the hard, protective layer that helps your teeth deal with daily wear and tear. When enamel is removed from teeth, it exposes nerve endings, which causes tooth pain.
Preventing Enamel Loss
Avoid acidic food and drinks like soda, sticky candy, and foods that contain high-sugar carbs. Instead snack on fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, cheese, milk, or plain yogurt. These types of foods can help fight acid and bacteria that eat away tooth enamel.
Avoid teeth grinding, over time this will erode enamel. If avoiding grinding is too difficult, dentists can create a custom mouth guard or splint. In more severe circumstances, dental work could be recommended.
Over-whitening teeth can cause tooth sensitivity. A dentist can recommend a treatment that will work around tooth sensitivity.
Solutions for Tooth Sensitivity
Once our doctors have helped identify the issue, they’ll recommend some things to help with the pain such as:
- Toothpaste for sensitive teeth
- Fluoride gel
- Fillings to cover exposed roots
- dental sealants
- desensitizing pastes – these are not used with a toothbrush and will be prescribed by your dentist
- Mouthguard or splint to prevent grinding of teeth
In more serious cases a root canal can be recommended. However, it is important to continue dental care in spite of tooth pain. Ignoring the issues can make things worse. If you cannot brush and floss twice a day, it is time to schedule an appointment with the staff at Family Care Dental.
