Imagine biting into a popsicle: does it hurt your teeth? If you answered yes, there’s a chance that you have dentin hypersensitivity. This affects roughly 57 percent of the population and it occurs when the protective tooth enamel wears down or when gum recession occurs. It reduces the protection that both the enamel and the gums otherwise provide for your tooth and tooth root. If patients visit our Bloomingdale or West Loop dentist complaining of a painful sensation when breathing in cold air or eating hot, cold, sweet or acidic foods, they likely have dentin hypersensitivity.
Causes
If you brush your teeth too aggressively, it could result in wearing down your tooth enamel. Other causes include too much acidity in your diet or too much gum recession that exposes your tooth’s root.
Prevention & Treatment
Thankfully, there are measures that you can take to prevent dentin hypersensitivity from happening in the first place. Brush your teeth for at least two minutes twice a day as well as flossing once per day can reduce tooth sensitivity. You can also eat a diet composed of foods and drinks low in acidity.
If you are suffering from dentin hypersensitivity, our dentist in Bloomingdale and West Loop will recommend a toothpaste that doesn’t have high levels of abrasives. A brush-on fluoride gel is also beneficial in helping protect your teeth.
Our team at Pure Dental Spa is dedicated to making sure your smile is healthy! If you are in pain, please contact us today.