What’s Making Your Teeth Sensitive?

Under normal circumstances, your teeth shouldn’t feel sensitive. In fact, when strong and healthy, they shouldn’t feel anything except the pressure of biting and chewing. If your teeth start to feel sensitive, the reason may be something more serious than the slight sensitivity suggests. That’s why it’s important to understand what’s making your teeth sensitive by having your dentist examine your teeth, and to treat the cause as soon as possible to alleviate the discomfort and save your teeth from more serious trouble.

What might be causing it?

There are several different potential reasons for a tooth to become sensitive. In many cases, it’s because the enamel surrounds and protects your teeth has grown weak, and the main part of your tooth is able to feel irritations such as hot and cold temperatures, oral bacteria buildup, and more. This might be addressed with better dental hygiene practices and, in some cases, the application of fluoride treatment to strengthen the tooth enamel. In other cases, a tooth might become sensitive if its root becomes exposed due to the recession of the gums around it. This may be an indication of gingivitis, the first stage of gum disease, and could require periodontal cleaning to address properly.

Why is the sensitivity getting worse?

The problem with ignoring minor tooth sensitivity is that, regardless of the specific cause behind it, both the condition and the discomfort in your tooth are likely to grow worse. If your tooth enamel is weakening, then enough time could lead to it being compromised and the tooth becoming infected by harmful oral bacteria. Known as tooth decay, this infection will erode increasingly more of your tooth structure and lead to more frequent and severe toothaches. If the issue is the health of your gum tissues and the exposure of your tooth’s root, the gum disease can grow more severe and lead to heightened risks of losing the tooth.

How do you alleviate the ache for good?

By pinpointing the specific reason why your teeth are sensitive, you can successfully address the cause and find lasting relief from the discomfort. More importantly, you can stop it from growing worse, as well as protect your oral health from the consequences of a more severe oral health concern. Fortunately, we may be able to help by custom-designing a conservative treatment to address the specific cause of your tooth sensitivity, such as a restoration to address tooth decay or periodontal cleaning to stop gingivitis from progressing.

Learn why your teeth feel sensitive

When your teeth start feeling sensitive, it can often be a sign of something that could grow more serious if you ignore it. To learn more, schedule an appointment by calling Allen & Neumann Family Dentistry in Pella, IA, today at (641) 628-1121.