Sensitive Teeth: What Causes It and What Actually Helps
Sharp pain with cold water or sweets usually has a specific, treatable cause — and toothpaste alone is not always the answer.
What sensitivity really is
Dentine, the layer beneath enamel, contains microscopic tubules leading to the nerve. When enamel wears or the gum recedes and exposes root surface, temperature and sweet stimuli travel through those tubules and register as a sharp, short pain.
Common causes
Aggressive brushing and gum recession, acidic diets, night-time clenching, whitening treatments, cracked fillings and untreated decay are the usual culprits. Sensitivity that lingers for more than 30 seconds, or wakes you at night, suggests pulp involvement and needs assessment rather than home care.
What helps
Potassium-nitrate desensitising toothpaste used consistently for four weeks, a soft brush with light pressure, fluoride varnish applications, bonding of exposed root surfaces, and a night guard for clenchers. Where decay or a cracked filling is the cause, the restoration itself is the treatment.
When to get it checked
Book an examination if sensitivity is limited to one tooth, is getting worse, or is accompanied by swelling — these point to a cause that desensitising paste cannot fix.
Talk to Dr. Pranav Poond directly
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