If things like drinking hot coffee or eating ice cream causes you to wince with pain, you might suffer from tooth sensitivity.
There can be a lot of underlying causes of tooth sensitivity, including cavities caused by general tooth decay, fractured teeth with exposed dentin, old fillings that are about to fail, eroded tooth enamel and periodontal disease.
The underlying cause of the sensitivity will greatly influence the best treatment option or lifestyle change needed to improve the problem.
Immediately underneath the enamel of your teeth is a layer of dentin, sometimes referred to as pulp. If you enjoy eating acidic foods or you have another condition like bulimia that exposes your teeth to acid on a frequent basis, you might be suffering from sensitivity caused by enamel erosion.
For minor to moderate cases of enamel erosion, your dentist might recommend a fluoride gel treatment. This procedure can be carried out in a single session. The fluoride gel is applied to your teeth for a period of time, which helps strengthen the enamel, reducing acid exposure to the sensitive dentin layer.
It’s important to keep in mind that you will need to address the behavior that caused the enamel erosion in the first place. If left unchecked or untreated, acid erosion can cause teeth to fail or you may need to replace the enamel with a crown.
If you have sensitive teeth caused by enamel erosion, please feel free to call us at [phone] to schedule an appointment.