Having sensitive teeth can make it difficult to enjoy your favorite foods and drinks. People with dental sensitivity commonly complain about their discomfort when their mouth encounters a hot or cold item.
Here is a bit of information about dental sensitivity and how to treat it.
Why Do the Teeth Feel Sensitive?
Your teeth are made up of multiple layers. The outside layer, which gives the tooth its white appearance, is the enamel. The enamel protects the internal tooth layers. Nevertheless, your tooth enamel may erode over time or incur other damage, causing the underlying dentin layer to be exposed.
The dentin layer houses tubules, which are round tubes that encase the dental nerves. As the dentin is revealed by a loss of tooth enamel, the nerves are less protected from the environment of the mouth. As a result, you may experience uncomfortable dental sensitivity.
Your teeth may also become sensitive if your gums recede. The recession of the gums can reveal the roots of the teeth, which are not covered by tooth enamel.
Can Dental Sensitivity Be Treated?
If you suffer from dental sensitivity, your dentist is likely to offer multiple treatment options, based on the cause of the sensitivity. Here are a few options that a general dentist may recommend.
Desensitizing Toothpaste
Desensitizing toothpaste helps to lessen the sensitivity of the teeth by treating the dental nerves. Many of these special pastes include potassium nitrate as the active ingredient. Potassium nitrate prevents the pain signals from being transmitted by the dental nerves to your brain.
In addition, sensitive toothpaste may form a barrier over the tubules, blocking the exposure of the nerves to the environmental factors of the oral cavity.
Dental Bonding Material
If the roots of the teeth are exposed due to gum recession, the dentist may apply bonding material to the exposed area to protect it. The bonding material can cover the roots to help lessen the sensitivity.
Root Canal Treatments
If the nerves of a tooth have become inflamed due to a deep cavity or a dental infection, the dentist may have to treat the condition using a root canal procedure. Although the dental nerves flow into the tubules of the dentin, they originate in the pulp of the tooth.
During a root canal procedure, the dentist removes the dental pulp, fills the empty tooth, and caps it with a dental crown.
If you suffer from sensitive teeth, schedule a consultation with a dentist in your local area.
Share3 August 2021
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