Do certain foods cause you sudden tooth pain? Or maybe the sensation of your brush’s bristles rubbing against your teeth sends off jabs of pain through your system? It might be that you have a condition which is called tooth sensitivity. Luckily, you do not have to put up with the pain that comes with tooth sensitivity. There are a number of things that you can do to keep your tooth from sending your sharp stings whenever you eat or drink something hot, cold or hard.

Causes of Tooth Sensitivity

You brush way too hard. While brushing is always good for your pearly whites, exerting too much force whenever you brush your teeth could also lead to sensitive teeth. When you brush too aggressively, you’re contributing to the wear and tear of your teeth’s enamel which serves to protect the nerves and blood vessels found in the pulp region of your teeth. The microscopic holes formed could allow hot or cold substances to leak into the pulp region and cause your nerves to go haywire.

You gorge on acidic foods. Just like force causes wear on your dental enamel, acid can also dissolve the protective covering of your teeth which can leave your pulp exposed to the elements. Some of the acidic foods which can lead to the dissolution of enamel include kiwi, lemon, pickles, grapefruit and tomato sauce.

You grind your teeth. People who constantly grind their teeth can wear down the protective enamel of their pearly whites in time. When this happens, the dentin layer which has microscopic tubes leading to the pulp of the tooth can be exposed.

You use tooth-whitening toothpastes. The chemicals which are added to tooth-whitening toothpastes cause sensitivity because the chemicals dissolve the enamel of one’s teeth. This goes the same for using mouthwash all of the time since this dental hygiene product also contains acids.

You have a chipped tooth. This is a giveaway cause. When you have a chipped or cracked tooth, sensitive nerves are exposed to food that you eat or any sort of mechanical action which is why you feel pain.

What can you do to lessen teeth sensitivity?

Consider switching to a non-whitening toothpaste and use a neutral fluoride rinse instead of an alcohol based mouthwash. If you are a tooth-grinder, ask your dentist about a using mouth guard when you sleep. And make sure that you have any chipped or cracked tooth bonded. Going to the dentist for regular check-ups also help to keep your teeth in tiptop shape and stave off tooth sensitivity.