Are You suffering from temperature sensitivity?
It is really painful, and we can understand how hard it can be to manage the sudden burst of pain even when you drink normal water.
In some severe cases, the patients find their teeth sensitive to the air too.
And worst of them all, you can’t enjoy life to its full.
In summer when there is nothing better than ice cold beverages, cold coffee, ice cream, or cold shakes, you can’t drink them as you are cold sensitive.
In the cold winter, when everything sips hot coffee, warming their whole body, you can’t have that either because your teeth are heat sensitive too.
But you are not alone.
As per estimates around 45 million people struggle with hot and cold sensitivity and most of the people don’t even takes a dental appointment, and try to fix it at home doing nothing. Yes, in mild cases, you can fix it at home by following a strict diet regimen.
But, if it is severely hot and has cold sensitivity, you can’t fix it at home and you will have to find yourself in the waiting room of a dentist.
For Appointments: Visit Our Paragon Dental Centre.
Causes of tooth pain after exposure to hot or cold
When you take a dental appointment the first thing your doctor will do is to determine the causes or the reasons for that dental sensitivity.
Well, every case is different, and habits or experience that leads to dental sensitivity varies from person to person, but the underlying causes, or if you look into deeper details, the causes are typically the same.
Before you get into the exact details or causes of tooth sensitivity, you must learn the tooth structure in detail.
Every tooth is consist of a three-layer, the outer hard layer is called the enamel a defense system of the tooth. The enamel protects the softer inner layers of the teeth. This layer is hard to break and requires constant unhygienic routines or regimens to get it punctured.
Right below the enamel, there is a layer of microscopic tubes that leads into the innermost layer of the tooth called the pulp. The nerve system of the teeth is housed inside the pulp.
Dental sensitivity occurs when the dentin or the nerve system of the tooth is exposed to hot or cold, which means the outer layer called enamel is completely broken and letting liquid or other food have direct contact with the nerve system.
But the reasons why your teeth are sensitive to cold can be different than sensitive to hot. Let’s unearth.
Your tooth is sensitive to Cold because
1. Gum disease
Your tooth is cold sensitive, one of the reasons can be gum disease or infection. The top reason for gum infection can be plaque buildup. When a large amount of plaque is built up on the gum, it leads to cold sensitivity.
Brushing too hard: You use abrasive toothpaste, and try to clean your teeth as fast as possible in the shortest time, and to get that, you go too hard on your teeth. Brushing too hard with a hard bristled brush can too lead to cold sensitivity.
2. Gum receding
A very thin part of the hard surface aka enamel covers the sensitive nerves housed inside the pulp. When the gum recedes it leads to the roots exposing, and when you drink something cold it triggers the nerves and makes you suffer with a sudden severe burst of pain.
3. Crackles in the teeth
Teeth expand and contract with temperature. If there are cracks in the teeth, and when the tooth expands due to temperature, the crevices or cracks in the tooth can too expand leading to another access point to the nerve, leading to cold sensitivity.
Your tooth is sensitive to hot because
1. Longer teeth whitening treatment
If you are obsessed with teeth whitening treatment that goes for over weeks, that too can lead your teeth sensitive to heat. It’s completely Okay to take whitening treatment twice a Year, but don’t opt for the treatments that take weeks.
2. Acidic Diet
If you consume too much of a diet rich in acids, that too leads to your tooth being sensitive to hotness. Coffee, tomato sauce, wine, and many other such foods.
Symptoms of temperature sensitivity
The top symptom is a pain when your tooth is exposed to hot or cold. But, how long the pain lasts, or the type of pain you experience can make you learn how you can fix it. Some patients explain the pain as a stabbing sudden burst of pain. Others say, a dull lingering discomfort right after exposure to hot or cold.
But the treatment plan is determined by how long the pain lasts.
- Less than 15-seconds
If pain lasts for 15 seconds or less than 15 seconds that means things are not that serious. It does not mean that you should overlook it, that means, you should start noticing things and refrain from eating those foods bad for your teeth’ health.
Yes, that means you don’t require instant medical help, but you should take a dental appointment and get a thorough checkup to learn why this happening is.
In most cases, it can be due to mild tooth decay, a loose or lost filling, or minor gum recession.
- 30-Seconds
If pain lasts for 30-seconds or more, that means there is something serious and you are likely to suffer permanent damage to the internal structure of the tooth. It can be because of deep dental decay, of the tooth structure, an accident, trauma, infection, or overlooking your teeth help for a long time.
In that case, you should take instant medical help, and right away get a dental appointment scheduled for an in-depth checkup.
Home and medical treatment for hot and cold sensitivity
When the pain hits your jawbone, you try to find immediate relief in the form of home remedies or pain killers. Even if you have a dentist appointment, you try to get rid of that pain as quickly as possible. So, we are going to help you with home remedies as well as the medical treatment you should get for tooth pain.
Home remedies
Home remedies not only help you relieve the pain temporarily but in the long run too.
Coconut oil has anti-inflammatory prosperities, and you can find it in your home quite easily. Take a tablespoon of coconut oil and swish it around in your mouth for around 15 minutes. This quick swish surely going to help you get rid of the pain quickly, you can do that once a day.
Essential oils are considered helpful for controlling a variety of pains including tooth pain. You can mix coconut oil with clove oil and apply it to your gums for at least five minutes. After five minutes rinse it off and you will experience quick relief from the pain.
In the same way, tea tree oil can be used in the same fashion.
One of the oldest home remedies for quicker and instant tooth pain relief is to rinse off your gums with salt water once a day. Mix a half tablespoon of salt in warm water, and rinse your gums or rinse your mouth with it, you will experience reduced inflammation.
Medical treatment for dental sensitivity
If you don’t get relief from the tooth pain or sensitivity even after using the home remedies mentioned, it’s time to call your dentist. This situation is not going to stop here, it can get worsen.
Try to get a professional medical treatment to improve your comfort of drinking and eating hot as well as cold.
Your dentist will be helping you following the mentioned treatments.
Fluoride therapy
If your case is not that sensitive, your dentist may recommend fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride toothpaste integrated with carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, and polyethylene glycol is considered an impressive sensitivity treatment.
Root canal
If you are experiencing a severe case of sensitivity, that means your nerves under the enamel are completely exposed or damaged you will be getting root canal therapy, it is an advanced treatment for those suffering severe sensitivity issues:
Gum grafting: Due to exposed tooth roots, you may experience sensitivity issues. In that case, you may get gum grafting, this procedure will involve protecting the tooth roots to remove sensitivity issues.
Restoration
If there is a crack or cavity in your tooth, then the sensitivity of the teeth will be eliminated by filling. There can be tooth-colored filling, inlay, or dental crowns to protect the damaged tooth and improve sensitivity issues.
Final Thoughts
Your oral hygiene is hugely dependent on your tooth. Not only just the brushing but eating healthy, and taking regular dental checkups, ensures you will enjoy your life to the full. If you are not following the best practices to make your tooth healthy and safe, sooner or later you will be suffering from serious teeth issues beginning with sensitivity.
Don’t take sensitivity to hot and cold to your teeth as a mild issue. Take it seriously It can be the beginning of serious teeth issues.