If taking a cold drink or biting a hot meal makes you feel pain, then you may have sensitive teeth. Also known as hypersensitive dentin, sensitive teeth are characterized by a sharp pain that causes you to carry your hand to the mouth to cushion your tooth. Damage to the nerve or the usual wear and tear on the teeth may promote this condition, but the root cause is usually loss of enamel or gingival recession. Fortunately, there are several home remedies for sensitive teeth.
Toothpaste to desensitize
Try brushing with a commercial toothpaste formulated to defensible the teeth. These pastes contain strontium chloride or potassium nitrate as an active ingredient. Either helps block the sensation of discomfort from traveling from the tooth to the nerve. Although these pastes cannot replace enamel loss or compensate for gum recession, their active ingredients accumulate in the tubule-like channels in your dentin and act as a temporary fill.
Treatment for the night
In addition to brushing regularly with desensitizing toothpaste, it sometimes helps to spread a little of the same paste over sensitive areas just before bedtime. The secret of success is to avoid the traditional use of rinsing to let the dough work while you sleep. According to Dental Health Magazine, practicing this habit every night will significantly reduce the sensitivity of your teeth in a few weeks.
Brush yourself more often
This home remedy is simple enough, but its effectiveness cannot be overemphasized. Ideally, you should brush your teeth at least twice a day, especially after meals and before going to bed. The main reason for doing this is to remove the plaque before it has a chance to harden and promote cavities. However, during the time between meals, drinks and brushing your teeth, plaque releases an acid that increases the sensitivity of your teeth even more.
Choose something soft
It is tempting to think that a hard bristle toothbrush will do a better job of cleaning your teeth. The same can be said of the application of excess pressure. The truth is that hard washing or using a hard bristle brush can damage the enamel and cause the gum to recede leading to the sensitivity of the teeth. So opt for a soft bristle toothbrush and let the instrument do its work without using too much force.
Floss your teeth regularly
If you have enough floss in the medicine cabinet of your bathroom to go around the world three times, then it is time to use it more often. Spinning the thread regularly after brushing helps remove any residue that the toothbrush cannot reach. Unless you remove it, you will get hard plaque in less than 72 hours and only the dentist can remove it. Meanwhile, the plaque will irritate your teeth and cause sensitivity.