On a global scale which body part do you think is the most ignored? I am sure there will be a few contenders, but I hope you will agree with me that it’s our teeth. Unless they start shooting pain daggers we don’t really pay much heed to them. When you ignore them long enough, what happens, the most common dental issue – Sensitivity.
What is sensitivity? Thanks to the advertisement world, we all are well aware of what it means irrespective of the fact whether we have personally experienced it or not. So yeah, the little temporary pain sensations in your mouth when your teeth come in contact with something hot or cold, also sometimes sweet or tangy items is called as tooth sensitivity.
Almost all of us also know the reason behind it, corrosion of enamel. Now on a detailed version, our teeth have a layer called dentin, which is connected to our pulp, nerve endings, and is kind of sensitive. The outer layer of our teeth is enamel, the barrier that our body has provided for us to safeguard our tooth. When that layer gets broken or removed, its infiltration, and dentin is exposed, leaving it to pass all the tingly pain sensations.
There can be numerous reasons why your barrier (enamel) gets destroyed, after all the poor thing is right in the front line, taking continuous firing. Here are a few foes:
- Brushing is good for teeth, but brushing them hard or using a hard bristle brush can eventually wear down the enamel
- Acidic food items including certain mouthwashes can break down the enamel and hurt your sensitive teeth
- Grinding your tooth when angry is common, but too much of it and your teeth are done in
- Certain dental procedures, like whitening bleaching, can be the cause behind it as well
- Also, certain conditions like shrinking of gums, or cracked teeth can give you those pain alerts as well
Now prevention is always the better course, however, once it starts, a dental visit to find the root cause is the next step in line. Depending on what is the cause behind it, your dentist may suggest some measures for you to relieve the pain.
- Toothpaste for sensitive tooth
- Sodium fluoride gel to strengthen the enamel.
- Filling in, in case of a break in teeth
- Root canal in extreme cases
Apart from that, what you can do to help yourself and retain your smile, is basically perform the opposite of above-mentioned reasons, like:
- Go easy with brushing, use a medium/soft bristle brush
- Avoid acidic foods, soda’s hard candies, pay attention to what type of mouthwashes you are using
- Don’t grind
- Visit the dentist for regular check-ups (at least twice a year) and not just when it hurts
Often taking care of our body including teeth isn’t that difficult. You only need to pay a little attention and adopt healthier habits. So go on take care and keep your pearly smile intact.