Do you constantly avoid cold or hot food and drinks? Do you feel that your teeth are vulnerable to heat and cold? Do eating sweets and sour foods also bother you? If the answer is yes, then you might suffer from dentin hypersensitivity.
The symptoms and frequency occur depending on the severity of the hypersensitivity. People suffering from hypersensitive teeth often experience:
– pain from consuming hot, cold, sweet and sour foods
– discomfort while chewing
Teeth with hypersensitivity happen because the tooth enamel covering the nerves inside is eroded or broken. The inside part of teeth called dentin becomes exposed, causing nerve endings in the dental pulp to direct contact with food and drinks. This condition makes the teeth vulnerable to pain from extreme temperatures, sweets and acids.
The inability to enjoy certain foods and drinks or to experience pain while eating is unpleasant. Hypersensitive teeth are common and relatively easy to be treated. In this article, we’ll look at the causes of dentin hypersensitivity and how to prevent it.
TABLE OF CONTENT
What causes hypersensitive teeth?
How do you treat hypersensitive teeth?
What causes hypersensitive teeth?
The fundamental cause of dentin hypersensitivity is an open space in the enamel layer to expose the tooth’s dentin. Your tooth enamel can break due to various causes, so your teeth can run into hypersensitive teeth for numerous reasons.
If you think you have hypersensitive teeth, one or more of these reasons may be the trigger:
Tooth decay
In a decayed tooth, bacteria break down the enamel and invade the inside part of the tooth. Most of the time, tooth decay makes the tooth pulp very exposed. Thus, the nerves inside the tooth react to any particles from outside. The reaction is often problematic, especially when they are exposed to heat, cold, or acidic foods.
Chipped teeth
One of the other causes of dentin hypersensitivity is chipped teeth. The dentin will also be exposed when a tooth is chipped or cracked. Consult with a dentist for any chipped teeth.
Teeth grinding
Teeth grinding can wear down the tooth enamel. Bruxism or teeth grinding tend to happen during sleep. Wear a nighttime mouth guard if you grind your teeth in your sleep and get treatments to stop bruxism.
Brushing your teeth too hard
Brushing your teeth too hard or too often can thin out tooth enamel. If you brush your teeth too harshly, your teeth enamel may not work optimally anymore in protecting the dentin inside.
Using abrasive toothpaste
You may also need to check the toothpaste you use daily to see if there are too many abrasive ingredients. Some abrasive agents are alumina, hydrated silica, dicalcium phosphate and calcium carbonate. The abrasive agents in toothpaste can harm your tooth enamel after a long period by eroding the protective layer little by little.
Gum disease
Gingivitis can harm your teeth’ enamel, especially in the tooth’s root area. Gum diseases bring multiple problems to the tooth enamel in the nerves’ roots.
Tartar
Like gum diseases, tartar buildup can also harm your tooth enamel, especially around the root part of the tooth.
Dental procedure.
Your teeth might be more sensitive after specific dental procedures or treatments. Dentin hypersensitivity symptoms caused by dental procedures should be gone after a few days.
Eating too many sweet or acidic foods and drinks.
Audit your food and drink consumption. Sweets can increase the risk of tooth decay, which is one of the leading causes of dentin hypersensitivity. On the other hand, acidic foods are harmful to your tooth enamel if you consume them excessively. Too many acidic foods and drinks will scrape tooth enamel over time, and the dentin becomes hypersensitive.
How do you treat hypersensitive teeth?
If the cause of hypersensitive teeth is a dental procedure, wait until the symptoms disappear. Besides that, you must search for the causes and treat your teeth to prevent the symptoms from worsening. These are the things you can do to help your teeth in fighting against dentin hypersensitivity:
Choose the right toothpaste
Ensure that your toothpaste is safe for your teeth. Avoid using toothpaste containing abrasive agents, as they can erode your tooth enamel. Consider using toothpaste formulated for sensitive teeth. This toothpaste will help to reduce teeth sensitivity while undergoing dental treatment.
Brushing teeth with correct technique
Brushing teeth regularly and correctly are both crucial for optimal oral health. Use a soft toothbrush, brush for 2 minutes, and don’t rinse your mouth with water after you brush. Keep a small amount of toothpaste for teeth protection by only spitting the toothpaste after you’ve done brushing.
Reduce consumption of acidic foods.
Avoid acidic foods when you are in the treatment of healing from hypersensitive teeth. You can consume acidic foods when the tooth enamel is strong and healthy. Keep your acidic foods and drink intake low to prevent the symptoms occur in the future.
Stop rinsing with mouthwash.
Some mouthwashes sold on the market contain alcohol and another chemical that can harm your teeth and increase tooth sensitivity. Consider not rinsing your mouth with mouthwash. If you need to rinse your mouth, rinse with water without mixing it with any chemical substance.
Conclusion
By doing a comprehensive dental check-up every six months, the dentist can see if there are chipped teeth, cavities, gum diseases, or any other oral problems that can cause hypersensitive teeth.
If you suffer the symptoms of hypersensitive teeth, schedule a dental consultation with Eastman Dental. At Eastman Dental, we can diagnose and provide treatments for hypersensitivity and prevent further complications. Don’t let your teeth stay hypersensitive to foods and drinks. Schedule a check-up with us immediately and get your healthy smile back.