Sensitive Teeth
Dear Dr. John,
Every time I drink or eat something cold, my teeth hurt. My teeth even hurt when I breathe in cold air! Can you tell me why my teeth are so sensitive and what I can do about them?
Joe-Menlo Park
Tooth sensitivity is a common complaint among dental patients. In order to understand why your teeth are sensitive you must first understand a bit of tooth anatomy. A tooth is composed of three layers. The outer layer above the gums is called the enamel. The middle layer above the gums is called the dentin and structure below the gums (root) is called the cementum. The inner layer of the tooth is called the pulp.
Most often tooth sensitivity is due to a wearing away of enamel, or receding gums. Receding gums is the most common cause of sensitive teeth in adults. Once gums recede they expose the tooth's root. In as much as roots are not covered by enamel, thousands of tiny channels or tubules are exposed. These channels lead to the tooth's pulp or nerve center. When the open tubules come in contact with an external stimulus, such as heat, cold or pressure you feel tooth pain.
Penetration in the enamel can be caused by various factors; such as a bad bite, grinding or clenching your teeth, brushing with a stiff bristled toothbrush, and use of abrasive toothpaste. A bad bite can create tremendous forces. These forces cause the enamel to flex, over a period of time this continual flexing causes the enamel to fracture. This fracture exposes the dentin, and causes hypersensitivity to external stimuli such as heat, cold and pressure. Grinding or clenching your teeth can create excessive wear or micro-fractures in the enamel, exposing dentin. Most if not all patients would be well served with the use of a high quality soft bristled toothbrush, changed on a regular basis; and a non-abrasive toothpaste.
In conclusion, your dentist needs to evaluate the cause of your sensitivity by taking x-rays and performing complete and thorough clinical examination. Only after the cause of your pain is determined, can treatment recommendations be made.
Better smile for all,
Dr John Russo
Dr John Russo, “Ask the dental doc.” cannot diagnose or treat patients through the newspaper. Without all available information about a patient it is impossible to make a diagnosis. Only you and your dentist can make an appropriate treatment decision. It is the individual's responsibility to use due diligence to determine what is proper treatment.
© J. Russo
