Have a tooth sensitive to cold or having many teeth in the mouth sensitive to sometimes even air - is annoying and can be painful.  Common dental questions we get asked is about teeth sensitivity. A common dental problem people face is tooth sensitivity.   The person will go to their local dentist and say, "my teeth are sensitive to cold and ice cream."  The patient will state how any time they eat ice cream or have a cold drink, they experience serious pain in their mouth.  It is estimated that over 10% of people have some form of teeth sensitivity.  Interesting enough, many times people do not share with other people or even their dentist.  Some people think that having a little bit of sensitive teeth or a sensitive tooth is okay.

The science of tooth sensitivity and teeth sensitivity.  The enamel is the outer layer of the tooth.  Under it is the tooth dentin.  This layer is much more sensitive.  Any time have dentin exposed or dentin drilled away to remove caries, then can have tooth sensitivity. We will discuss this further in this sensitive tooth dental blog.

- Teeth sensitivity chat                                            

Health is a combination of all the body’s parts working efficiently as a team. Pain in any part of the body makes the whole body suffers. We are prone to infections at every level of our daily life. Our oral cavity and mouth area are home for microbial flora that has millions of microbes. These microbes can easily cause dental anomalies and other health infections and complications. One of the major complications with the teeth are the toothaches and tooth sensitivity. Pain in the teeth can make you suffer badly. Let’s have a look at that in detail:  

- What is teeth sensitivity?

Teeth sensitivity is an anomaly of the teeth that occur due to the damaged enamel and roots of the gums. The enamel gets broken when you are having unhealthy eating habits such as eating hot and cold foods one after the other. The nerve endings of the teeth are exposed to the surface hence generating pain and uneasiness whenever you eat anything hot or cold.

- Causes:

- Teeth Sensitivity Blog - What causes people to have sensitive teeth?

- Causes:

The main causes of tooth sensitivity or sensitive teeth are listed below:

• Using a hard toothbrush can damage your enamel. Having worn out enamel may cause tooth sensitivity.  If the outer layer of the tooth or teeth is worn away, the underlying dentin is exposed and much more sensitive to cold and air.
• Acid foods and drinks also damage the enamel to a great extent. Taking too much soda, colas, and spicy foods will lead to teeth sensitivity.
• Stress can lead to nervous and involuntary habits in some individuals and one of them is grinding your teeth. Excessive grinding can lead to damaged and worn out enamel.
• Gum disease and exposed root of the tooth are also a leading cause of sensitivity.
• Fractured teeth fillings, broken tooth restoration and worn out fillings can also lead to tooth sensitivity.
• The Gastrointestinal reflux disease can cause acidic reflux from the stomach. This acidic reflux back into the mouth may cause damage to the teeth. Bulimia is also one of the causes of teeth sensitivity.

Symptoms of teeth sensitivity or symptoms of sensitive tooth:

Generalized pain in the teeth and jaws are the main symptoms. You might feel a kind of uneasiness and electric shock when drinking hot or cold drinks, or when eating a cold food such as ice cream. Bleeding and swollen gums are also among the symptoms.

Medical cures for teeth sensitivity:

Usage of desensitized kinds of toothpastes:

Several brands of medicated toothpaste are available in the market that prevents sensitivity of the tooth. The main ingredient in these pastes is potassium nitrate. The dentists also prescribe fluoride toothpaste.

Use soft bristle brush:

The thing with brushes is that the way you use them matters the most rather than their bristles. Try to brush your teeth softly. Don’t get harsh while brushing or you will hurt your teeth and gums.

Avoid acidic foods:

Food is something that you can control while eating. Try not to eat too many acidic foods since it will only elevate the pain and suffering. Opt for yogurt, milk, butter and fruit juices instead of beverages, spicy food, and pickles.

Dental applications:

If you are not having a good time with the above remedies, you can ask your dentist to do a covering of paint, varnish or resin over your teeth, which will provide services as an enamel shield.

Other dental procedures that could be done include:

• Crowning or bonding
• Surgical gum graft
• A Root Canal is the ultimate and last treatment for teeth sensitivity

When root canal treatment is done, the tooth that is causing tooth pain and is sensitive to cold - is root canaled.  During root canal therapy (RCT), the tooth nerve or pulp canal is removed and is filled in.  If root canal treatment is done properly, then no more pain from cold drink or cold air should happen to that particular tooth.  The patient may still have other teeth that may be causing the teeth sensitivity though.

 -  Proper tooth brushing:

-  Protecting the tooth enamel:

Many people feel if they brush very, very hard - they can remove the yellow stains or make their teeth whiter.  My tooth brushing very hard, a person can seriously damage their teeth. Also, using very hard toothbrushes can cause damage to the teeth.  The enamel protects the tooth and is a relatively thin layer.  If the enamel is brushed away, then the underlying dentin tooth structure is much more sensitive  - since it is more vital.

-  What is a white filling? What is a dental composite filling? 

Composite fillings are known by many people as white fillings. The Dental composite filling is a type of tooth restoration, that is used to fill in a prepped tooth cavity. That is, first the caries is drilled out by the dentist and the tooth is filled with some form of composite filling. This composite white filling has an adhesive or resin that is used to fill in the cavity. Since it is an adhesive, it helps to protect the underneath portion of the tooth. It can be done for the front or back of the teeth. These composite fillings can look fairly natural. It is a bit costly as compared to amalgam fillings. Composite fillings are the restoration of choice for most dentists now, as compared to 40 years ago - when most molars were filled using amalgam.

They are more versatile in dealing with broken, fractured and worn-out teeth. You have to visit your dentist regularly, keep flossing and brushing regularly -  to keep your filling safe.  From time to time, composite fillings may need to be repaired, the composite filling may fall out or need to be changed.

- My teeth are sensitive blog, and tooth sensitivity chat:

We discussed why people may have tooth sensitivity or several teeth sensitivity in their mouth. As we discussed, many people wonder why their teeth are sensitive and like to have the tooth fixed.  The pain from tooth sensitivity may be mild or extreme.  There are many ways for the dentist to treat a sensitive tooth.  We are Local Dental Blogging online and Emergency Dentist Question Chatting at DentalChat.com.