how to repair sensitive teeth

What is the best home remedy for sensitive teeth?

Top 15 Home Remedies for Tooth Sensitivity to Hot and Cold

1. Salt Water. Mix half a teaspoon of salt with a cup of warm water. ...
2. Garlic. Create a garlic paste using one crushed garlic cloves, table salt, and a few drops of water. ...
3. Oregano Oil. ...
4. Hydrogen Peroxide. ...
5. Raw Onion. ...
6. Reduce Consumption of Acidic Foods and Drinks. ...
7. Oil Pulling with Coconut Oil. ...
8. Keep Up with Good Oral Hygiene. ...
9. Sensitive Toothpaste. ...
10. Chew Gum. ...

More items...

How does Sensodyne help relieve your sensitive teeth?

• Start using Sensodyne toothpaste. Sensodyne has a wide range of toothpastes which are formulated to offer long-lasting protection for sensitive teeth, such as Sensodyne Rapid Relief Extra Fresh and Sensodyne ...
• Brush twice a day, every day. ...
• Floss daily. ...
• Visit your dentist regularly. ...

How to relieve sensitive teeth naturally?

Use this baking soda solution in the following ways:

• Gargle with this solution for almost 1 minute.
• Use this solution to swish around your oral cavities for 45 seconds to 1 minute.
• Place a small washcloth or cotton boll soaked in this baking soda solution onto the infected region.
• Use this solution to gently brush your teeth.

Can You reverse sensitive teeth?

It is impossible to reverse the effects of sensitivity once you have sensitive teeth, but switching to a daily sensitivity toothpaste, such as Sensodyne, can help protect against the symptoms of sensitivity when used twice a day, every day, for a long time.

How do you get rid of sensitivity in your teeth?

Fluoride. Your dentist might apply fluoride to the sensitive areas of your teeth to strengthen tooth enamel and reduce pain. He or she might also suggest the use of prescription fluoride at home, applied via a custom tray. Desensitizing or bonding.

Can tooth sensitivity be reversed?

Tooth sensitivity can never completely go away, but there are treatments available that can help alleviate the sensitivity you experience. If you are experiencing any sensitivity, we recommend you make an appointment for an exam in our office.

How long can sensitive teeth last?

Recent routine dental procedures: Sensitivity can occur following teeth cleaning, root planing, crown placement and tooth restoration. Sensitivity caused by dental procedures is temporary and usually disappears in 4 to 6 weeks.

How do you stop tooth sensitivity naturally?

10 Easy Home Remedies to Get Relief from Sensitive TeethDesensitizing Toothpaste. esensitizing toothpaste can help relieve pain and prevent it from traveling to your brain. ... Hydrogen Peroxide Mouthwash. ... Green Tea. ... Honey and Warm Water. ... Capsaicin. ... Turmeric. ... Saltwater Rinse. ... Vanilla Extract.More items...•

Why are my teeth so sensitive?

Sensitive gums and teeth are caused by the wearing away of the hard, enamel coating of your teeth. If the sensitivity feels quite extreme you might...

How do I get rid of tooth sensitivity?

You can decrease sensitivity by using special toothpastes and mouthwashes designed to protect and strengthen your tooth enamel. For a total fix, yo...

Why do I have sensitive teeth during pregnancy?

It is completely normal to have sensitive teeth during pregnancy. Due to changes in hormones, your teeth become more susceptible to plaque and this...

Will my teeth be sensitive after whitening?

It is possible to develop teeth sensitivity after whitening them, either with a home kit or at the dentist. However, some whitening kits may be spe...

Why do I have tooth sensitivity after a filling?

Sensitive teeth after a filling aren't uncommon and the feeling should subside by itself after a few days. The most likely reason for the sensitivi...

Why is my tooth sensitive to cold water?

Many people experience at least fleeting sensitivity to cold at some point in their lives. Your teeth are most likely sensitive to hot and cold due...

Why is just one tooth sensitive to cold?

Having just one sensitive tooth may indicate a more serious problem If one tooth is bothering you, your dentist will want to examine it for common...

What causes sensitive teeth all of a sudden?

If you have sudden tooth sensitivity, it may be because your enamel has worn down or your roots are a bit exposed. Sudden tooth sensitivity usually...

How to stop pain from teeth?

While home remedies can temporarily relieve pain symptoms, there are some things you can do to prevent more damage to your teeth. Prevention methods include: 1 maintaining good oral hygiene to keep your teeth and mouth clean 2 using a softer brush to prevent irritation and abrasions 3 limiting the amount of acidic foods and beverages you consume to prevent dissolving tooth enamel 4 scheduling regular dental visits 5 using a mouthguard at night if you grind your teeth

How to prevent tooth pain?

Prevention methods include: maintaining good oral hygiene to keep your teeth and mouth clean. using a softer brush to prevent irritation and abrasions.

How to get rid of hydrogen peroxide in mouth?

Add two caps of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to equal parts warm water. Swish the solution in your mouth for up to 30 seconds. Spit out the solution. Rinse your mouth with water afterwards to remove any remaining hydrogen peroxide.

How to get rid of a tooth ache?

To alleviate pain symptoms from sensitive teeth, gargle with a salt water rinse twice daily. To use a salt water rinse: Add ½ to ¾ tsp of salt to a glass of lukewarm water and mix well.

What is the best way to disinfect a wound?

Hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen per oxide is a mild antiseptic and disinfectant. It is commonly used to help sterilize cuts, burns and other wounds to prevent infection. You can also use peroxide as a mouthrinse to heal gums and prevent inflammation.

How to treat a baby's tooth pain?

To treat sensitive teeth, pour vanilla extract onto a cotton ball. Apply the cotton ball to your gums for a few minutes, and repeat the process as often as needed .

What is desensitizing toothpaste?

Desensitizing toothpaste contains compounds that help to shield nerve endings from irritants. The most active ingredient is potassium nitrate, a compound that blocks pain signals traveling from a nerve in your tooth to your brain. After a few uses, your sensitivity will reduce. Dentists also recommend using a soft-bristle toothbrush ...

How to treat sensitive teeth?

Treatments for sensitive teeth include: 1 Toothpaste for sensitivity: Products are available that help lessen the amount of discomfort triggered by hot, cold, or acidic items (note that they can take several applications before becoming effective). 2 Use a straw: This handy tool can help hot or cold beverages move past the sensitive areas of your teeth. 3 Fluoride varnish: Your dental professional may recommend applying fluoride varnish to your teeth to strengthen your enamel. 4 Dental restoration: Your dental professional may recommend a crown, inlay, onlay, or composite restoration after the decay is removed. This dental restoration may reduce tooth sensitivity once completed. 5 Gum graft: This procedure replaces the receded or missing gum tissue to protect your exposed root. 6 Root canal procedure: If an underlying infection is causing sensitivity, your dental professional may recommend removing infected tissue in the pulp of the tooth. 7 A proper oral care routine: It can be tempting to look for a magic solution, but the basics are the most effective. If you have tooth sensitivity, you don’t want it or the problems that created it to get any worse, so it’s a great idea to use this opportunity to power-up your oral health.

Why is my dentin so sensitive?

If a condition or damage weakens your enamel or exposes your teeth' roots, your dentin can experience sensitivity. According to the American Dental Association, this can cause hypersensitivity, leading to hot, cold, acidic, and sticky items triggering pain or discomfort. Causes of sensitive teeth may include:

How often should I clean my teeth?

Schedule regular visits with your dental professional every 6 months for cleanings. Use dental floss or an interdental cleaning device to clean between your teeth once a day. Choose fluoridated mouthwash, toothpaste, or water (most tap water contains fluoride!) Avoid or limit acidic foods and drinks in your diet.

What is the best way to strengthen your teeth?

Fluoride var nish: Your dental professional may recommend applying fluoride varnish to your teeth to strengthen your enamel. Dental restoration: Your dental professional may recommend a crown, inlay, onlay, or composite restoration after the decay is removed.

How to stop jaw grinding?

Avoid or limit acidic foods and drinks in your diet. Chew sugar-free gum or consume dairy products to stimulate saliva production that protects your enamel. Check with your dental professional if you have sore jaws or believe you may grind your teeth for expert diagnosis and treatment recommendations.

What is the procedure to replace a receded tooth?

Gum graft: This procedure replaces the receded or missing gum tissue to protect your exposed root. Root canal procedure: If an underlying infection is causing sensitivity, your dental professional may recommend removing infected tissue in the pulp of the tooth.

What is the outer layer of teeth called?

The tops (crowns) of your teeth are protected by a strong outer layer called enamel. The roots that are normally underneath your gums don’t have enamel but are instead protected by cementum. Enamel and cementum both protect your teeth' dentin that help pass sensation to your nerves and then brain.

How to keep teeth from getting sensitive?

Use a special toothpaste: You'll read more about this below, but there are plenty of kinds of toothpaste for sensitive teeth out there. Use a soft toothbrush: Using a toothbrush with soft bristles will help keep irritation down, and won't contribute to the wear on your enamel.

How to treat sudden tooth sensitivity?

Some of the most common remedies for sudden tooth sensitivity are using a toothbrush with soft bristles and toothpaste made to combat tooth sensitivity. Your Guide to Sensitive Teeth: Causes and Remedies, and Prevention.

Why is my tooth sensitive to touch?

Tooth sensitive to touch. If your tooth is sensitive when you touch it with a finger or apply other pressure to your teeth while brushing or chewing , this may also be caused by worn down enamel. Sensitivity may also be triggered by pressure if you have poor dental alignment, bruxism or tooth fractures.

What happens if you lose enamel?

If you start to wear out and lose tooth enamel, you may find that your teeth appear translucent, or are sensitive to cold or heat. Exposed teeth roots: This means the part of your tooth with the least protective enamel is exposed, so there's a greater chance of sensitivity.

What is the best way to treat tooth pain?

Honey and warm water rinses work in a similar way to saltwater ones. Honey has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory qualities that can help with sensitive tooth pain. Clove oil gel is a well-known teeth desensitizing home remedy and scientists have confirmed it too.

Why does my tooth get cold?

This thin or cracked enamel lets cold sensations through to the nerves of your teeth. Enamel can wear down for a number of reasons.

How to get rid of tooth pain?

Try adding a teaspoon of salt to a cup of hot water, stir until it dissolves, allow it to cool, then rinse around your mouth to get some quick sensitive tooth pain relief. As an added bonus, saltwater has been noted to reduce plaque build-up. Honey and warm water rinses work in a similar way to saltwater ones.

How to treat sensitivity in teeth?

1. Use Toothpaste Made for Sensitive Teeth. Using toothpaste that is specifically designed for treating tooth sensitivity can be helpful for symptom relief. Most of these toothpastes contain an ingredient that temporarily fills tiny holes in your enamel and dentin.

What is the best way to get rid of sensitive teeth?

6. Oil Pulling: Swishing With Coconut Oil. If you have sensitive teeth from a possible bacteria overgrowth, coconut oil can help. When you swish liquified coconut oil around in your mouth, it’s called oil pulling. This remedy has been used for many years as an oral health aid.

How to treat a tooth that is sensitive to garlic?

Allicin is an antibacterial and pain relieving compound. Since allicin reduces bacteria and soothes pain, it’s a great natural remedy for sensitive teeth. Garlic can be sliced and applied directly to the affected teeth, or a paste can be made by combining a clove of garlic with a few drops of water and a half teaspoon of salt. This paste is applied directly to the sensitive area. Both garlic and the paste should be left on the teeth for ten minutes. This can be repeated twice a day for as long as necessary.

How to reduce tooth sensitivity?

Making a mouthwash out of salt and water can help reduce tooth sensitivity quickly. Salt water balances the pH level inside the mouth, creating an alkaline environment that reduces bacterial growth. It also reduces plaque in the process . A salt water rinse is easily made by mixing two teaspoons of salt with a cup of warm water. This rinse should be used in the morning and at night until sensitivity improves.

What foods can cause tooth sensitivity?

Acidic foods and drinks such as coffee, fruit, pickles, and sodas can increase tooth sensitivity. If your sensitive teeth are a problem when you eat, you may want to consider reducing or eliminating these foods.

How to keep teeth from grinding at night?

Try a soft bristled tootbrush and make sure you brush gently to preserve the surface of your teeth and to maintain gum integrity. 3. Use a Mouthguard at Night. Sometimes sensitive teeth are caused by grinding your teeth at night. This is called bruxism. If this is a problem for you, your dentist can take molds of your teeth ...

Can you use a toothbrush with stiff bristles?

If you use a toothbrush with stiff bristles, you could be making your condition worse. Stiff bristles and abrasive toothpastes are hard on enamel, leading to more microscopic holes and eventually more sensitivity.

Signs and Symptoms

Tooth sensitivity may not affect everyone the same, but there are several common signs and symptoms, including: 3

Causes of Tooth Sensitivity

Sensitive teeth may develop due to a number of causes. Potential sensitive teeth causes include: 2

Professional Treatment

If your sensitive teeth result in a lot of pain and discomfort, you should see your dentist for tooth sensitivity treatment. The first step to effective treatment is identifying the cause of dentin hypersensitivity.

Home Dental Care

There are a number of tooth sensitivity treatments you can try at home to reduce pain and build up protection for sensitive teeth. These include:

Summary

Living with sensitive teeth can be painful and uncomfortable. However, maintaining good oral hygiene, including brushing your teeth twice a day with a toothpaste designed for sensitive teeth, can go a long way in reducing or preventing tooth sensitivity.

A Word From Verywell

Maintaining good oral hygiene is essential to maintaining your overall health, so don’t hesitate to talk to your dentist if you start to experience sensitive teeth on a regular basis. Treating tooth sensitivity may take some time, but it doesn’t have to be difficult.

Why is it important to treat sensitive teeth?

Treating your sensitive teeth on a daily basis is important because tooth sensitivity won’t go away without it. Once tooth enamel, the protective layer of your tooth, is worn away, it cannot grow back, leaving exposed nerves vulnerable to triggers, causing sensitivity.

Can you chew on one side of your mouth?

Whether you’ve toughed it out or made small changes, like chewing on 1 side of your mouth, you may have figured out how to deal with your sensitive teeth. Switching to a daily sensitivity toothpaste, like Sensodyne, is an easy way to enjoy the foods and drinks you love without thinking twice. All Sensodyne toothpastes contain fluoride ...

How to treat sensitive teeth?

3. What can dentists do about sensitive teeth? 1 Your dentist or hygienist may be able to paint special fluoride gels, rinses or varnishes onto the affected teeth. 2 Seal & Protect is a light-cured resin material that “seals” off the dentinal tubules from the external environment. It can reduce sensitivity for up to twelve months. However, it’s fairly expensive and your dentist will need to reapply it once it has worn off. 3 If you grind your teeth in your sleep, ask your dentist about a mouthguard that you can wear at night.

Why do my teeth feel sensitive?

What causes sensitive teeth? Sensitive teeth are often caused by exposed dentine – the inner substance of the tooth, which is normally covered by enamel. This can result in a short sharp pain to cold drinks, food, air, hot, sweet, sour, or touch (especially when brushing).

How long does toothpaste last?

Many of these toothpastes need to be used for 3-4 weeks to have a significant effect. So don’t give up if it doesn’t work straight away. Desensitising toothpastes can be used forever. Still, you may see a warning on the packaging not to use them for more than a month.

How long does seal and protect last?

It can reduce sensitivity for up to twelve months.

How to avoid acid exposure?

Use the technique recommended by the toothbrush manufacturer. Don’t scrub in the same way you would with a manual toothbrush. Avoid frequent acid exposure.

Does stannous fluoride help with sensitive teeth?

2. Arginine / Pro-Argin. Arginine (e.g. Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief toothpaste) can also help with sensitive teeth , although the evidence is not quite as good as it is for stannous fluoride. 3.

Does toothpaste help with sensitive teeth?

There are many toothpastes to help with sensitive teeth. But they don’t all contain the same active ingredients. So if one toothpaste for sensitive teeth doesn’t work for you, try another type.

How to treat sensitivity in teeth?

A good first line home treatment is to switch to an electric toothbrush, avoid scrubbing your teeth, and use a good sensitive toothpaste.

Why do teeth get sensitivity?

Tooth sensitivity is usually caused by exposed dentine on your teeth. Teeth have 3 layers. Enamel is the outer shell, dentine is the middle layer, and the pulp is the inner most layer. The pulp is the living part of the the tooth containing the nerve and blood supply. Dentine directly overlays the pulp and can be porous.

Why does enamel wear away?

Tooth wear and trauma. Overzealous brushing, acid from your diet or stomach, grinding your teeth and trauma can all cause enamel to wear away and expose sensitive dentine.

How long does sensitivity last?

The sensitivity is usually a sharp sensation and lasts just for the duration of exposure to the stimulus, but can sometimes linger for a few seconds. Normally the dentine in your teeth is shielded by the outer layer of enamel or under the gum.

How long does it take for sensitive toothpaste to work?

Sensitive toothpastes generally take a couple of weeks to work. If you find after 2-3 weeks that your sensitivity has gone then you may just need to continue using the sensitive toothpaste. If after 3 weeks, the sensitivity is no better, then you should definitely contact a dentist for further advice.

What happens when you touch dentine?

When dentine gets touched, the nerves in the pulp can sense the change though the pores, and respond by sending a pain signal to your brain. This painful sensitive response is common, especially with hot, cold and sweet stimuli.

Can brushing gums cause recession?

This process of gum recession can be sped up with overzealous brushing. Conversely infrequent or inefficient brushing can cause gum disease which can also lead to gum recession.