Do you often experience a surge of pain just as you bite into food, take the first sip of a steaming beverage or bite down on an ice cream cone?  If this sounds like something you experience on almost daily basis, you probably suffer from tooth sensitivity.

Surely, you don’t want to keep living with this annoying and painful dental condition. However, in order to treat it, first, it is important to understand what causes tooth sensitivity. It is important to understand that tooth sensitivity can be caused due to a number of reasons. From using unsuitable toothpaste to something as serious as exposed roots, anything can be the culprit behind those shooting pains in your teeth.

However, keep in mind that it easy to confuse tooth sensitivity with other types of dental problems. Therefore, before you start looking for remedies to treat tooth sensitivity, it is important to make sure that you are not dealing with some other dental issue.

Symptoms of Tooth Sensitivity

If you have sensitive teeth, you are likely to experience pain or discomfort. However, keep in mind that sensitive teeth do not hurt all the time. Instead, pain or discomfort is triggered in response to certain actions or under certain conditions. Here’s a list of symptoms of sensitive teeth. Take a look at them and see for yourself if you are dealing with tooth sensitivity.

• Experiencing pain or discomfort while consuming hot foods or beverages
• Experiencing pain or discomfort while consuming cold foods or beverages
• Experiencing pain or discomfort on tact with cold air
• Experiencing pain or discomfort while consuming sweet foods or beverages
• Experiencing pain or discomfort while consuming acidic foods and beverages like citrus fruits and soft drinks
• Experiencing pain or discomfort on contact with cold water, especially during the daily dental care routine
• Experiencing pain or discomfort as you brush your teeth or floss afterward
• Experiencing pain or discomfort while using acidic mouthwash

If you experience most or all of these symptoms, you probably have sensitive teeth. Keep in mind that these symptoms can come and go on their own without any apparent reason. Also, sometimes you may experience only mild discomfort while at other times the pain may be intense.

Causes of Tooth sensitivity

Tooth sensitivity can be caused due to a number of reasons. Here are a few reasons why you may be experiencing shooting pains in the mouth due to teeth sensitivity.

1.    Aggressive or Surplus Brushing

Brushing your teeth regularly and properly is the most important part of dental care routine. However, did you know that it is possible to overdo it? Too much brushing can lead to sensitive teeth. Similarly, you can develop this painful condition if you brush your teeth too aggressively or your toothbrush is too hard. Therefore, make sure that you use a soft brush, brush your teeth gently and properly, and refrain from brushing them too often.

2.    Tooth-Whitening Toothpaste

Wouldn’t you just love to have pearly white teeth that shine up your smile? Well, as much as you’d like it, using tooth-whitening toothpaste is not always a good idea. More often than not, these kinds of toothpaste contain harsh chemicals that may act as bleach to whiten the teeth. While some people may have no problem using them, others can develop tooth sensitivity due to the continuous use of such products. Therefore, next time you buy toothpaste, don’t forget to check the ingredients list to see what’s in it!

3.    Excessive Plaque

Plaque is easily your biggest enemy when it comes to dental hygiene. Apart from creating a multitude of dental problems, excessive plaque can also lead t tooth sensitivity. Keep in mind that the production of plaque is a natural process that goes on 24/7. However, it is your responsibility to remove plaque and keep it from building up in the mouth. This is important because an excessive buildup of plaque in the mouth can lead to enamel erosion, which, in turn, leads to tooth sensitivity.

4.    Cracked Tooth

A chipped or a cracked tooth is another reason why you may be experiencing tooth sensitivity. Cracks can appear in teeth due to a number of reasons. If corrective measures are not taken, you are likely to develop tooth sensitivity. Therefore, if you have a chipped or a cracked tooth, make sure you find the right course of action with the help of your dentist.

5.    Too Much Mouthwash

While mouthwash can help make sure you enjoy fresh breath all day long, using it too often can cause you to develop tooth sensitivity. This happens because most mouthwashes contain strong ingredients to kill mouth bacteria. Moreover, just like teeth-whitening toothpaste, most brands of mouthwash contain alcohol, which also plays a major role when it comes to developing tooth sensitivity. Therefore, the best approach is to be smart about using mouthwash. While it is okay to use it sometimes, refrain from using too much mouthwash.

Now that you know the causes of tooth sensitivity, make sure you take the right measures to avoid developing this painful condition. Remember, tooth sensitivity is a serious condition that requires your immediate attention. Therefore, if you think you are experiencing tooth sensitivity, don’t forget to bring it up on your next visit to the dentist’s office!