Dental Talk with Western Montana Family Dentistry

Do you have sensitive teeth? Dentinal Hypersensitivity is a common chief complaint I hear as a hygienist. You experience pain when eating or drinking something cold, sweet, or too hot. It goes away after the offending culprit, i.e., ice water, no longer contacts the teeth. Why, you might ask, is drinking ice water or biting into ice cream causing tooth pain? The cause is your enamel or cementum; the outer covering of your tooth's root has worn away. Worn-away cementum or enamel exposes the dentin. Dentin consists of many tubules that have nerves. If the nerve is stimulated, it can cause discomfort.

Now you may be wondering what to do about your sensitivity. First, we should find out what has caused your sensitivity. Common culprits are: brushing too hard or brushing with a medium to hard bristled toothbrush; acidic foods or drinks such as lemons, tomatoes, or juices; gum recession; or inadequate homecare. There are a few ways to treat your sensitivity.

At-home tooth sensitivity treatments or modified oral habits include sensitivity toothpaste, fluoride mouth rinse, an extra soft or soft-bristled toothbrush, limiting acidic foods and drinks, rinsing with water or eating cheese after eating or drinking acidic foods, good homecare, and regular dental visits to your dental hygienist.

If you are still struggling with sensitivity after using at-home products, using a soft toothbrush, brushing with light pressure, and modifying eating and drinking habits, your dentist can give you professional treatment options. The dentist may recommend a filling, crown, or root canal to relieve your sensitivity.

I hope this information was helpful today. I will leave you with my number one tip I give patients: leave your sensitivity toothpaste on and don't rinse it off. Also, the toothpaste can take up to 2 weeks to help!

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