Sensitive teeth; Cause and Treatment

Suffering from sensitive teeth? You aren’t alone if you’ve experienced this. Sensitive teeth is more common in between 20-40. It could affect people in their early teens and as well as people over 70 years. Women are more prone to sensitive teeth than men.

Sensitive teeth can actually be a pain. While isn’t a life threatening problem by any means, it’s rather an irritation. I’ve a buddy who whines about her teeth that are sensitive. I started to question, are there methods to treat sensitive teeth after listening to her for such a long time? There has to be a way to treat?

I found several methods to help relieve sensitive teeth through my research. If this is the very first time you’re experiencing sensitive teeth, you might be wondering what’s caused this state. Thus let’s begin there.

Factors behind Sensitive Teeth

The outer part of our tooth has an enamel layer that shields the dentine, the hard, dense bone tissue underneath the enamel. When the dentine is exposed, a tooth may suffer sensitiveness. This is common when the gum and the tooth meet, and the enamel layer is too thin.  Now let’s look at the causes for sensitive teeth;

Over brushing

This can lead to sensitive teeth. Brushing from side to side may root to enamel worn out – particularly when the teeth meet gums. And the exposed dentine may become sensitive.

Dental Erosion

The acidic foods and drinks may cause loss of tooth enamel. If this enamel is worn away, the dentine becomes exposed and may become sensitive.

Gums naturally recede

Sometimes the gums may naturally recede, as the root surfaces do not have an enamel cover, the teeth roots get exposed and become more sensitive.

Gum disease

A plaque may cause the gum to recede the tooth and may even destroy the support of the tooth. Patches may form around the gums, making it difficult to clean the area, worsening the condition.

Tooth grinding

Some people have this habit of grinding teeth, this causes the enamel to worn out and makes the teeth sensitive.

Bleaching

For some patients, bleaching may cause sensitiveness. But thankfully, this is temporary. Talk to your dentist before taking the treatment.

When do you feel Sensitive teeth?

You may feel the sensitiveness when consuming something cold or hot while others may feel it when they take acidic foods or even sweets. You may feel this for some time and or may even last for several hours.

Avoid;

If you are suffering from sensitive teeth, avoid foods like ice cream, acidic drinks. If by chance, you feel sensitiveness when brushing with cold water, then use warm water. Brush twice a day on a regular basis. Avoiding brushing will only worsen the situation.

Acidic foods and drinks are the primary contributors to sensitive teeth; the next comes the way in which you brush your teeth. So how to identify the foods that cause the sensitiveness? It’s quite easy to find these foods on the internet. So here are the foods that are moderately and highly acidic foods.

Moderately acidic foods

Beans

Most grains

Corn

Meat

Fish

Coffee

Plums and prunes

Highly Acidic Foods

Soft drinks

Wine

Pickled products

Tomatoes

Most fermented foods

Yoghurt

The best way to Treat Sensitive Teeth

The treatment for sensitive teeth is frequently quite simple. The strategy depends on what’s the reason in the very first place. Talking along with your dentist can enable you to pin down the issue. If it’s because of tooth decay, disease or infection, you need to definitely seek medical advice.

If it’s just an enamel barrier breakdown, go for easy, natural remedies.

1. Try a Different Toothbrush

You face a severe dental issue if you fail regular brushing. The kind of toothbrush you decide on is crucial also. Not all toothbrushes are made equal. Go for soft bristles. A hard-bristled toothbrush raises the risk of developing susceptibility and can, in fact, be quite abrasive on the layers of your teeth. Remember you’re cleaning your teeth not the floor. Be gentle.

2. Avoid Highly Acidic Foods

Foods that have a lot of acid like citrus fruits, coffee, wine and even yoghurt can wreak havoc in your teeth. If you can’t keep yourself away from these foods, remember to use a straw for at least beverages. And do not brush your teeth immediately after taking in acidic foods.

4. Analyse Your Brushing Technique

Are you aware there’s a wrong and correct strategy to brush your teeth? Like the majority of us, I didn’t understand until I did some research. The right way is to hold your brush 45-degree angle and brush in circular motion. And do not push hard on the teeth.

Homes remedies for Sensitive teeth

There are some easy home-made remedies to treat your tooth sensitive. I’ve mentioned few natural ways to treat sensitive tooth.

Salt Water

Saltwater relives the tooth sensitiveness, which improves the pH balance in the mouth, creating an alkaline background in which bacteria cannot survive. Not only it treats the sensitiveness but treats the gum sores. To do this,

Mix half tsp. of salt in a cup of lukewarm water.

Rinse your mouth with this.

If you find it difficult to move the water, then hold it for some time.

Spit out the salt water and rinse your mouth thoroughly with plain water.

Do this twice, every day until you are satisfied.

Guava Leaves

As far as my search, this is one of the common ways to treat oral health. Guava leaves contain flavonoids such as rutin, guercetin, keampferol with anti-inflammatory properties. So try this old tradition when you are suffering from a sensitive tooth. To do this, do either of these methods twice or thrice every day;

Chew one or two fresh guava leaves and spit it out.

Or

Add few guava leaves to a cup of water and boil it for 5 minutes. Let it cool and add some salt. Use this as mouthwash.

Cloves and Clove Oil

Cloves is well known for its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anaesthetic properties that treat the oral health. According to a study, cloves was discovered to have an analgesic effect. So it’s helpful for toothaches and tooth sensitivity

To use this;

Grind 2 cloves, mix with a bit of olive oil and apply this to the affected area for half an hour.

Or

Apply clove oil directly to the affected tooth using a cotton ball.

Or

Mix few drops of clove oil in half glass of warm water and rinse your mouth with this.

Final Words

In the event you don’t see an improvement by following any of the above-mentioned tips, seek medical advice. Sensitive tooth is a mild twinge to severe uneasiness which may last for several hours. This is a timely warning for dental issues.