What are the seven most common causes of sensitive teeth?


Contrary to all those commercials touting tooth pastes for sensitive teeth, treating the symptom usually is not as effective as finding out the cause and addressing the cause. This post will try to explain the ten most common causes of tooth sensitivity and what can be done to get rid of the sensitivity.


  1. A cracked tooth. Teeth with internal cracks can cause sensitivity to cold, hot or intermittant pain on chewing. The cure for this is usually crowning the tooth or having endodontic treatment. Some badly cracked teeth can even require extraction.
  2. A tooth with a large cavity can have the same symptoms as a cracked tooth may have sensitivity after eating sweets. Fixing the cavity may make this sensitivity go away.
  3. Teeth that need a root canal may exhibit quite a bit of sensitivity including any of the previously mentioned symptoms.
  4. Teeth that are traumatized by too much biting pressure. This can occur when a tooth bites down hard on something that causes a temporary injury to the ligaments connecting it to the jaw bone. This also can occur after a night of vigorous bruxing. If I can't find anything physically wrong with a tooth I often suspect this as the cause for sensitivity. If the sensitivity goes away this may be the cause.
  5. Teeth with erosions and exposed dentin. Yes using a toothpaste for sensitive teeth may alleviate some of the symptoms, but not always. A more predictable cure is to seal the dentin with a bonded composite filling or a glass ionomer restoration.
  6. Acid reflux or bulimia can cause the sensitivity. Not all eroded teeth are sensitive, but exposed dentin is definitely more sensitive when it is in an acidic environment.
  7. Some recently restored teeth can become sensitive to cold. This condition may diminish over time but if it doesn't it bears looking into by a dentist.
Of course the best way to determine the cause of tooth sensitivity is to visit your dentists and discuss your symptoms. Radiographs should be taken and a thorough exam should be performed before any remedy is suggested.

from Ask Dr. Spindel - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/2018/04/what-are-seven-most-common-causes-of.html - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/

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