Are There Dental Treatments for Sensitive Teeth?

Ice, cold liquids, hot soup, and other delicacies are a few of the things people with sensitive teeth try to avoid. If you’re to the point where sensitive teeth have you passing up certain foods and drinks on a frequent basis, it may be time for a dental exam. Here, a Midtown Miami, FL dentist talks about what causes tooth sensitivity and ways to treat it. 

What Can Cause Sensitive Teeth?

Adapting to a sensitive tooth or teeth by not drinking cold or hot liquids may help you avoid the discomfort, but the cause of the problem still remains. More often than not, sensitivity develops when a tooth’s protective coverings erode and expose dentin, the material that makes up most of a tooth’s insides. 

Enamel protects the outside of your teeth, cementium protects the tooth root under the gum line, and the gums themselves, which also help cover the root of the tooth. When any one of these coverings wears away, cold, heat and acidic foods gain access to the cells and nerves of the tooth, causing the resulting discomfort.

For these reasons, the most common causes of tooth sensitivity include the following:

Gum disease

Shrinking gums, which tends to happen with age

A cracked tooth

A cracked filling

Rather than compensate for sensitive teeth, it’s always best to get to the root of the problem. This can help you avoid more serious problems down the road. 

Treatments for Tooth Sensitivity

Getting your yearly dental exams is a good way to prevent uncomfortable dental issues, like tooth sensitivity, from developing. Your dentist can identify what’s causing the problem and identify or rule out any underlying causes. 

Depending on your dental history and current circumstances, your dentist may recommend one or more of the following treatments for sensitive teeth:

Bonding – this involves using a bonding resin to cover up exposed root surfaces

Desensitizing toothpaste – when used consistently, it can sometimes block the pain that results from sensitive teeth

Root canal – in cases of severe pain where there are problems with the inside of your tooth, a root canal procedure, which is designed to repair or save a badly infected or damaged tooth 

Fluoride – this is applied by your dentist to the affected tooth or teeth to strengthen the enamel and lessen pain

Gum graft – when gum tissue erodes around your tooth’s root, your dentist can use gum tissue from other areas of your mouth and attach it to the affected area

If you have more questions about tooth sensitivity treatments or wish to schedule a dental exam, please don’t hesitate to call your Midtown Miami, FL dentist today.