Tooth Sensitivity
This condition is on the rise in our country with almost a third of all people suffering from it in one form or another. Most don’t even realize that it is usually treatable, so they suffer through it, eating on the other side or drinking through a straw. Although it’s generally considered benign, it can have far-reaching effects on the individual, not the least of which is a decrease in the quality of life.
There are many possible causes for tooth sensitivity, and very often an individual will have a combination of these. Let’s start with what happens in every case: the nerves of the tooth or teeth are being irritated, making them inflamed and hypersensitive to stimuli such as temperature, touch, or pressure. This is usually done through exposure of the inner core of the tooth, the dentin, which covers and protects the nerve. It’s a hard, calcified substance which contains nerve endings and is covered by another layer called enamel, an even harder calcium crystal.
If the enamel layer is lost through wear, erosion by acid, abrasion, fracture, or decay, then the underlying dentin can be exposed or injured. Also, the enamel only goes down to the gumline, so if the gums recede, that can expose the unprotected dentin in the root area. If wear is the cause, you can correct the bite, resurface the teeth and patch up the gumline grooves. Decay, abrasion and fracture have their remedies, but the most complicated solutions arise when dealing with erosion and gum recession.
Acid erosion is one of the main causes for the increase in tooth sensitivity. Acid reflux is definitely a cause for concern, but in general, take a look at what you drink. The diets in our country continue to contain more and more acidity due mainly to beverages. In order of increasing acidity, they are: fruit drinks, tea and coffee, sodas, sport drinks such as Gatorade, alcohol, and energy drinks being so off the scale they are a serious health hazard. You’ve seen those old movies where the villain throws the victim into a vat of boiling acid, and after the thrashing around, the camera pans in on a skeleton. Well if the villain had used Red Bull in his vat, there wouldn’t even have been a skeleton left. These constant acid baths gradually eat away your enamel, exposing and irritating the dentin. Treatments may include remineralizing the enamel and potassium nitrate toothpaste, but the best treatment is to just stick with water.
The other main cause for the increase in tooth sensitivity in the U.S. is gum recession, exposing the root surface. Here it is important to eliminate the underlying cause which is gum infection, and the use of sealants can be very effective in treating the exposure.
However, there are many other possible causes for tooth sensitivity, such as neuralgia, inflammation or infection of the nerve, cracks, leaking fillings, recent dental work, tooth whitening gels, abrasive toothpastes and even electrical currents created between teeth containing metal. That’s why it’s important to have the cause diagnosed and don’t give up hope that something can be done for that sensitivity.
Dr. Moulton’s article was published in the Desert Valley Times, August 2008
This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 10:46 am and is filed under Tooth Sensitivity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
