Have you ever experienced pain or discomfort after eating ice cream or a spoonful of hot soup? If this is the case, you are not alone. While pain from hot or cold foods may indicate a cavity, it is also common in people who have sensitive teeth.
Teeth sensitivity refers to the short-term pain felt in the teeth while eating or drinking something hot, cold, sweet, or sour. Sensitivity is caused primarily by worn fillings, cavities in teeth, gum disease, enamel layer wear, and a few other factors.
How is tooth sensitivity treated?
Your teeth will be cleaned by our dentist. If your teeth are too sensitive to be cleaned, your dentist may administer a local anesthetic prior to cleaning and may apply a fluoride varnish.
The principle of tooth sensitivity treatment is either occlusion of dentin tubule (e.g., resins, varnishes, toothpastes) or nerve fiber desensitization/blocking neural transmission (e.g. potassium chloride potassium citrate, potassium nitrate). A dental laser is a newer approach. The laser treatment also changes the tubules, making them less sensitive.
If the nerve of the tooth is damaged or dying, it will be treated with a root canal. Our dentist will remove the nerve and replace it with a non-reactive substance (gutta percha). The tooth will no longer be protected by a continuous layer of enamel. As a result, it will be restored with a composite filling or a crown.
How to Get Rid of Sensitive Teeth Pain
Frequently Asked Questions
Sensitivity pain is sharp and sudden. It is triggered by a variety of factors, the most common of which are cold stimuli. Cold and hot foods and drinks, cold air, coolant jet of water from a dental instrument, scaling and root planing, hypertonic sugary solutions, air blast from a dental instrument, acidic etch, gastric acid reflux, and other triggers are some of the most common.
Tooth sensitivity never goes away completely unless the underlying cause is identified and treated.