My Teeth are Sensitive - Adams Dental Group

my-teeth-are-sensitive

An Ode to Ice Cream

“Ice cream, ice cream…so creamy, sweet, and cold

To my tongue, you are delicious, flavorful, and bold

But when you touch my teeth, I want to scream in pain

I love you, sweet ice cream… but I fear my love’s in vain”

– Anonymous

Raise your hand if you often scream, “My teeth are sensitive!” when you bite into that ice cream cone (or can’t bite into ice cream, because you know better!!)

Can you relate?? Then you, like many, have sensitive teeth. Sensitive teeth aren’t fun and they can affect your everyday life; especially if you avoid very cold or very hot foods or drinks. Some people have to drink everything through a straw or breathe through their nose to avoid the pain they feel.

The team at Adams Dental Group understands and we want to help you with your sensitive teeth. Read on to learn more about causes and treatments for sensitive teeth.

My Teeth are Sensitive: Why?

Sensitive teeth are caused by your gums pulling away from the tooth and exposing the dentin beneath. The dentin is the soft layer of your tooth under the hard enamel. Inside the dentin, thousands of tiny tubes lead to the tooth’s nerve center. When hot, cold, super sweet or even sour foods touch the dentin, it triggers the nerve in your tooth, causing pain and you screaming, “My teeth are sensitive”!

What else can cause you to have sensitive teeth?

Damaged Tooth: Chipped, broken, damaged or decayed teeth can become infected causing the infection’s bacteria to enter the pulp and cause inflammation
Teeth Grinding: Grinding your teeth can wear down the enamel and expose the dentin (not to mention cause a lot of other problems, we can help with this too!)
Gum Disease (Gingivitis): Swollen and aggravated gums pull away and can leave the dentin or roots of your teeth exposed
Plaque Buildup: Plaque on the root surfaces of your teeth can cause sensitivity
Wear & Tear: Even brushing too hard can wear down enamel and eventually expose the dentin
Tooth-Whitening Products: These products can make your teeth more sensitive
Acidic Foods: Tooth enamel can wear down if you eat a lot of acidic foods
Dental Work – Teeth cleaning, crown placement, etc. can make teeth sensitive; this sensitivity is usually temporary and should go away in a month to six weeks

My Teeth are Sensitive: Treatment

The first step to treat your tooth sensitivity is to schedule an appointment with Dr. Travis Roberts at Adams Dental Group to identify the cause. Once you know the cause, there are several options that can provide you with relief:

Watch What You Eat: Avoiding highly acidic foods and drinks, like carbonated sodas, citrus fruits, coffee, even yogurt
Try a Different Toothpaste: You may need to try several different brands to see which one you like the best. It may take several brushings, but teeth sensitivity and pain can be avoided, for some people, by simply switching to de-sensitizing toothpaste
Change Your Toothbrush & Brushing: Soft-bristle toothbrushes may be your new friend. Try brushing more gently too. This may help keep your enamel from receding from your gums
Use Dental Products with Fluoride: Using a mouth rinse with fluoride each day can help decrease sensitivity
Use a Mouth Guard: You may not even know you’re grind your teeth at night and using a mouth guard can stop more damage from being caused
Crowns or Bonding: Your dentist may apply a crown, a filling, fluoride, or sealers to the exposed root surface of your sensitive tooth. This will counteract the lack of enamel or decay
Root Canal: These words strike fear into the hearts of many, but can help you if you have sensitivity, especially when other options have failed. Root canals today are very different than root canals in the past. Pain is minimal and it’s a small price to pay for permanent relief from a sensitive tooth

My Teeth are Sensitive: We Can Help!

As you can see, there are many ways in which we can help our patients with painful and sensitive teeth. Of course, first thing’s first … you should schedule an appointment, so we can diagnose the cause and discuss the best course of treatment with you. By letting us help you, you are taking a necessary first step in getting to the root of the problem (and enjoying that ice cream cone!)

Travis A. Roberts and his experienced, friendly team at Adams Dental Group offer affordable family dentistry and gentle dental care in the Kansas City, KS area. We have two locations that are conveniently located and offer appointment times Monday through Friday to meet your needs. At Adams Dental Group, we provide most dental services, from family and general dentistry to specialty procedures, including dental implants, dentures, endodontic or root canal treatment, professional teeth whitening, cosmetic dentistry and much more. We accept most dental insurance plans and offer affordable financial solutions for any budget. Call us at our East location (913) 621-3113 or at our West location (913) 296-8030 to schedule an appointment.