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Sensitive teeth are a very common problem that millions of people face all over the world.It can make life miserable as you cannot enjoy the foods you like most such as hot, cold or sweet foods. Even drinking a cup of tea or coffee or eating an ice-cream gives immense pain.
Tooth sensitivity, which is also known as dentin hypersensitivity, is the sharp tooth pain you feel due to wearing away of tooth’s enamel that exposes the tooth’s dentine beneath the enamel to several tiny tubes that contain sensitive nerve endings and triggers pain when exposed to hot, cold or sweet.
Home Remedies for Sensitive Teeth
There are effective home remedies available to treat tooth sensitivity. These home remedies can bring relief to a great extent.
Desensitizing Toothpaste
Use tooth pastes that have a desensitizing effect. Today there are several brands of tooth paste available that are especially designed to help people with sensitive teeth problem.These over-the-counter tooth pastes are specially formulated with ingredients like potassium nitrate or strontium chloride so that they can fill the tubules in the dentin and help to reduce the sensation that causes pain. However, they will only work for you only when you continue to use them for a long period of time.
Spot Treatment
Along with brushing the teeth with desensitizing toothpaste twice every day after meals, spreading a little amount of this paste on the sensitive tooth area at night and going to bed without rinsing your mouth will help to work the paste over night. Continuing spot treatment regularly will reduce tooth sensitivity significantly within a month.
Use Soft Toothbrush
Use a tooth brush with soft bristles. Change your brush after every three months. Many people think that hard bristled tooth brush will clean their teeth better. But it is not correct.Scrubbing your teeth too hard with hard bristle tooth brush can damage the enamel and gums, which often leads to tooth sensitivity. So, if you are brushing too hard, change the way you brush.
Stay Away from Acidic Foods and Acidic Drinks
Some acidic foods like pickles and oranges, and drinks like fruit juices and red wine put the enamel at risk. Also avoid too cold or too hot drinks as they can increase the sensitivity of teeth all the more by damaging dentin and tooth enamel. Limit the consumption of these foods and if you can’t avoid them completely, brush after 15-20 minutes of consuming them.
Brush More Often
Brush your teeth after every meal. After snacking, wash your mouth thoroughly with water so that no food particles remains entangled in your teeth. They can cause build up of plaque and bacteria and increase tooth sensitivity by releasing an acid.
Massage Gums
Massaging the gums with plain salt can help to prevent formation of bacteria in the gums and teeth and further prevent tooth sensitivity.
Floss
Regular flossing will help to decrease the plaque formation by removing the materials that tooth brush misses out. Plaque build up irritates the teeth and causes tooth sensitivity.
Fluoride Rinse
Fluoride rinse can also help to decrease tooth sensitivity. Rinsing the mouth is all the more necessary for those suffering from tooth decay problem. But don’t overuse mouth wash as it can have an acidic effect.
Clove Oil and Cinnamon Oil or Powder
To avoid tooth pain, apply cinnamon powder or oil or clove oil on your sensitive tooth. This will give you relief from pain.Avoid tooth grinding and get treatment from a dental care provider if you are suffering from receding gums.
