Sensitive teeth?

Many of you suffer from sensitive teeth. Drinking cold drinks or eating your favorite ice cream? Wouldn’t it be ideal if you could enjoy tasting what you love, free from pain?

Many of you suffer from sensitive teeth. Drinking cold drinks or eating your favorite ice cream? Wouldn’t it be ideal if you could enjoy tasting what you love, free from pain?

Let’s analyze a little bit what happens, for those of you suffering from teeth hypersensitivity and feel this disturbing pain when consuming cold or hot drinks, certain foods, inhaling cold air, and also feeling discomfort when chewing.

Sensitive teeth?

At this point, we will make a small intercalation to explain the basic anatomy of the teeth. Every tooth is a living thing with a pulp on the inside, and soft tissue and bone around the outside. The pulp is a hollow chamber filled with blood vessels and nerves. These blood vessels have specialized cells that continue to deposit dentin into the tooth. The dentin is softer than enamel. It has tubules that communicate to the pulp so that when dentin is exposed, we can feel sensitivity due to fluid movement through these dentinal tubules. Similarly, exposed roots experience sensitivity because the cementum is not as protective as enamel. Cementum is a specialized layer that promotes attachment of the roots into the bone.

Let us now see what can damage the enamel and cementum:

  • Trauma
  • Caries
  • Gum Recession
  • Periodontal diseases
  • Teeth grinding
  • Erosion (eg carbonated drinks, alcohol, bulimia)
  • Friction (eg intense brushing)

As you can see to avoid this annoying feeling of teeth sensitivity you need to make sure that none of the above is happening.

Originally proper oral care is necessary because you avoid tooth decay, gum recession, and periodontal disease, but as I said so many times in this blog already, avoid “violent” brushing, soft circular motions are enough.

Be careful not to injure yourself, for instance when doing sports-like boxing, take appropriate precautions.
If you grind your teeth during your sleep, contact your dentist.
Avoid acidic foods, carbonated drinks, alcohol, and whitening.

Athina Tsiorva

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