What Causes Tooth Sensitivity?

Tooth sensitivity can come from consuming something of a hot or cold nature. In some cases, teeth can become sensitive to sweet or sour foods and might even bother you if you feel a breeze of cold air near your mouth. If you find yourself often passing on eating ice cream or enjoying a cup of coffee, it may be time to consider your options for what you can do to help with this condition.

Initial Care

Paying attention to what causes you to feel that initial twinge is the first step to providing better protection for your teeth.

Some key factors to consider when tooth sensitivity is at play are:
· Worn away tooth enamel
· Pressure when brushing your teeth
· Consumption of acidic foods
· Clenching of teeth
· Bleaching your teeth
· Shrinking of gums
· Gum disease
· Cracked tooth or cracked filling

Proper Care of Your Teeth

It is important to protect tooth enamel as best as you can. This can include applying the proper pressure with your toothbrush in order to not brush away your enamel. Discuss with your dentist the proper technique to brush your teeth.

Consumption of acidic foods can be hard to avoid; they are plentiful and we consume them on a regular basis. A trick to avoid the wearing of enamel after you have consumed an acidic food or beverage is to rinse your mouth with water then wait half an hour before you brush your teeth.

Habits

If you find that you clench your teeth a lot you might be wearing down the enamel unknowingly. If you do this you should talk with your dentist about a possible bite guard or a splint for your mouth to prevent this habit from creating unnecessary wearing of the teeth.
If you are one who frequently uses a teeth whiting kit you might want to consider taking a break if you suffer from tooth sensitivity. Talk with your dentist to see if this is indeed an issue for you.

Age

As we get older sometimes gum disease or natural receding of the gums occurs. As the gums recede parts of the tooth that is not protected from the enamel is uncovered and it becomes susceptible to tooth sensitivity.

Don’t hesitate to talk with our office about possible solutions and get back to enjoying all the foods you love again!