Find a selection of consumer information dental books at America's Dental Bookstore.

Understanding sensitive teeth

As we discussed on another page, tooth sensitivity and tooth pain is your body trying to tell you that something is wrong.

Types of tooth sensitivity:

	Sensitivity to cold - This is the most common. If you put things in your mouth that are cold enough, you're going to provoke a little pain, even if nothing is wrong. As teeth get irritated from other causes, the degree of sensitivity to cold increases.
	Sensitivity to biting - You should be able to chew normally without pain. When a tooth is sensitive to biting, something is wrong.
	Sensitivity to air - If you get a painful reaction in a tooth due to breathing, it could be because a tooth is irritated already in some other way, or you could have a sensitive root.
	Sensitivity to sweets - The classic sign of a "leaky" filling. If your tooth is sensitive to sweets, mention it to your dentist during your checkup.
	Sensitivity to touch - When the root of your tooth becomes exposed, sometimes you can provoke pain just by touching that root surface.
	Sensitivity to heat - Once your teeth become sensitive to heat, it could indicate an infected tooth. If putting cold water or ice on your tooth makes it feel better, get to a dentist right away.

 

Sensodyne was the original toothpaste for sensitive teeth. It had an ingredient strontium chloride which seemed to help teeth be less sensitive. Then Denquel was introduced, and it used potassium nitrate as a desensitizing agent. Now Sensodyne also has a potassium nitrate formula. Other toothpaste brands have also come out with desensitizing toothpastes.

If your sensitivity is due to an exposed root, these desensitizing toothpastes work well. If you use them daily, your sensitivity should gradually lessen over a period of time.

Is your toothpaste sensitivity serious?

Tooth sensitivity could be a very minor problem, or it could indicate a serious underlying problem. Here are a couple of guidelines to tell you if it is minor or serious:

	Fleeting sensitivity - If your tooth has a very brief reaction to the cold or air, or other stimulus, the chances are that your problem is minor. Let's say cold irritates your tooth. It hurts while it's cold. But when your tooth warms up the pain goes away. This may well be just a minor problem. But let's say that this sensitivity progresses and the pain gets more intense and begins lasting longer. If the pain lingers after the cold stimulus is gone, this is going to require professional attention—probably a root canal treatment.
	Spontaneous pain - If your sensitivity is caused by a stimulus, such as cold, air, or sweets, then it may well be a minor problem. However, if the tooth begins to hurt when there is no stimulus, get to a dentist. This isn't good.
	Another issue in tooth sensitivity is whether or not it is getting better. If your tooth is irritated because of recent dental work, it could very easily be sensitive to cold, biting, or something else. However, if there is no infection in the tooth, it should get better over a period of weeks. If the sensitivity is getting worse, you need to see your dentist.