Tried and Tested Ways to Get Relief from Tooth Sensitivity

If you have experienced the pain and discomfort of sensitive teeth, you probably know how unpleasant it can be. Teeth sensitivity occurs when the tooth enamel gets worn away, exposing the softer dentin underneath to extreme temperatures, pressure, or acidity. The dentin connected to the nerve in your tooth causes pain when exposed.

The article highlights some tested ways that give you relief from sensitive teeth.

• Brushing too hard and wearing down the enamel
• Eating acidic foods (i.e., citrus fruits) that wear away tooth enamel
• Gum recession caused by frequent brushing or gum disease
•  Tooth exposure due to gum disease, cavities, or fractured teeth
• Tooth grinding or clenching your jaw (often during sleep)

Maintain Your Oral Hygiene

• Brush your teeth twice a day. Using regular toothpaste, gently brush each tooth for about two minutes. Brush in small circles, and make sure to get the chewing surfaces of your teeth and the insides of your upper and lower front teeth.
• Floss between your teeth once a day before you brush at night. It will remove plaque buildup and food particles that lead to cavities or gum disease. Flossing also helps prevent bad breath. Be gentle when you floss; so you do not injure your gums. Go slowly, and clean the sides of each tooth correctly; otherwise, you won’t be doing much good!
• Use mouthwash to keep your mouth fresh throughout the day, especially if you find yourself constantly popping mints or chewing gum because of bad breath or other concerns about your oral hygiene.
• Visit a dentist at least once a year for checkups and cleanings, which will help prevent cavities from forming on any surface where buildup occurs regularly due to improper brushing techniques (such as molars). Taking my example, I take my kids and family to our dentist in Ann Arbor, MI, twice a year. Visiting a dentist regularly prevents a lot of oral diseases from occurring.

Avoid Brushing Roughly or with a Hard-Bristled Toothbrush

To gently brush away plaque, you should use a soft-bristled brush and proper brushing technique. In other words, do not brush too hard or with a hard-bristled toothbrush. Also, avoid brushing your teeth right after eating because acidic food can make the enamel more vulnerable to abrasion. 

And do not go overboard with the brushing, as over-brushing can increase tooth sensitivity by causing gum recession. Gum recession exposes small tubules in the dentin, which are covered by enamel or gums.

Consume Acidic Foods and Drinks with a Straw

Using a straw to drink acidic foods and drinks can significantly reduce the risk of tooth sensitivity. When you are drinking through a straw, the fluid is directed away from your teeth and onto your tongue. Ideally, you should use a glass or reusable straw for environmental reasons, but single-use plastic straws are also fine in an emergency. It is easy to get used to this habit, which can save your teeth considerable discomfort in the long run!

Avoid Overly Hot or Cold Beverages

This one might be the most difficult of all to follow, but it’s a surefire way to avoid painful tooth sensitivity.

Tooth sensitivity is brought on by the expansion and contraction of fluids inside your tooth’s dentin. Hot things tend to expand those fluids, while cold things contract them. Avoiding hot and cold drinks as much as possible means less expansion and contraction and less discomfort overall. There are many different beverages that either fall into this category or can cause problems in other ways:

• Alcoholic beverages
• Coffee (hot or iced)
• Tea (hot or iced)
• Carbonated drinks like soda (due to their high acid content)

Consume Less Alcohol, Soft drinks, and Coffee

Consume less alcohol, soft drinks, and coffee. Alcohol and caffeine in tea, soft drinks, and coffee can stain your teeth. They can also cause dehydration which makes teeth more sensitive.

If you drink a lot of alcohol or tea, try to have milk or enough water, these help with tooth wear.

If you are drinking alcohol, keep track of how many drinks you have and try not to exceed the recommended safe amount of one standard drink per day for women and two for men.

Instead of sipping on alcoholic drinks all night, try having them over ice with water instead of drinking them neatly (without anything added). It helps dilute the sugar content in your drink so that it won’t be exposed to your teeth for as long.

Try other non-alcoholic beverages such as carbonated water or soda water with some fresh lime juice squeezed into it instead of a soft drink full of sugar, like lemonade or cola. You could also use fruit juice, including tomato juice, for this recipe instead of just plain water.

Use Fluoride Toothpaste

Tooth sensitivity is a fairly common complaint. Dentists say that nearly one in eight people experience tooth pain when they consume cold or hot food and drinks. According to the American Dental Association, fluoride strengthens tooth enamel, making it more resistant to decay and protecting against cavities. 

You can buy fluoride toothpaste at your local pharmacy or supermarket. If you are particularly concerned about your teeth, speak with your dentist about other ways to manage sensitivity and protect your teeth against cavities and decay.

Fluoride has been around since the 1940s, when dentists discovered that children living in areas where fluoride was present in drinking water had much fewer instances of cavities than those who did not live in such areas. It led to adding fluoride to drinking water supplies and eventually creating fluoridated dental products.

Try Mouth Guards for Grinding

If you have been grinding your teeth a lot and you are experiencing tooth sensitivity, a dentist may recommend a mouthguard.

Mouthguards are simple, effective ways to stop tooth grinding, which can reduce the risk of dental damage. There are several types of mouthguards:

• Fitted mouth guards: These can be bought at pharmacies or customized by dentists.
• Boil-and-bite mouth guards: These also can be bought at pharmacies and custom fitted by placing them in hot water and biting into their softened surface.
• Stock mouthguards: These can be purchased at sporting goods stores and come ready to wear straight out of the box.

Use Desensitizing Toothpaste

• Use desensitizing toothpaste. Toothpaste containing fluoride can help reduce the sensitivity of your teeth. In addition, you should use a paste that contains either potassium nitrate or strontium chloride because they ease some of the pain associated with tooth sensitivity caused by receding gums. 

If you have sensitive teeth, look for a paste that contains arginine and calcium carbonate because these ingredients may create a protective layer on your teeth to prevent heat and cold sensations from reaching the nerve endings in your teeth.

• Avoid toothpaste that contains sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Avoiding SLS is vital because it can strip away your teeth’s enamel, causing further wear on the roots of your teeth, which will make them more sensitive to hot and cold stimuli. Abrasive toothpaste is also not recommended for people with sensitive teeth because it can wear down root surfaces and cause further damage.

The Solutions are Easy and Affordable, as Long as You Know What to Do

Your tooth sensitivity may not be a large enough concern to immediately book an appointment with your dentist. However, you should persist in finding effective solutions for your sensitive teeth. It helps to speak with your dentist about the problem to determine the cause and treatment options available. From there, you can begin your journey toward relief from tooth sensitivity.