4 Tips For Reducing Tooth Sensitivity

Do you have overly sensitive teeth? Do you cringe in pain when you eat certain foods, or when your dentist pokes at some of your teeth? That sensitivity is usually caused be a loss of enamel, which serves as a protective coating for your teeth. When you lose enamel, your teeth's nerves and roots can become exposed, leading to those sharp pains you may feel when you eat certain foods. To reduce the pain, you'll likely need to stop the enamel loss and take steps to protect your teeth. Here are a few tips to help you manage the sensitivity:

Change the Way You Brush

Teeth brushing is usually beneficial. However, it can cause problems if you're doing it incorrectly. Specifically, when you brush too hard and with too much intensity, you can actually break down your tooth enamel. Instead of brushing quickly and with a lot of pressure, try using a more gentle touch and brush for a couple of minutes each time. Also, switch to a soft bristle brush. The softer bristles will have less impact on your enamel.

Avoid Acidic Foods

Tooth enamel is supposed to protect your teeth from most elements, but the enamel is actually vulnerable to foods that contain a high level of acidity. These can include foods like pickles, oranges, soda, and even red wine. You can help protect your enamel by cutting these items out of your diet, or by significantly reducing them. Even if you're not feeling any sensitivity, reducing your consumption of these items can be beneficial.

Wear a Mouthguard 

It's possible that you may be losing enamel because you're grinding your teeth at night. You may not even realize you're doing it. The grinding chips away at the enamel and breaks it down over time. You can reduce the damage by wearing a mouth guard while you're sleeping. The mouth guard serves as a barrier between your teeth, so the grinding motion won't impact the enamel.

Get a Paint Job 

Finally, if the sensitivity is too bad, you may want to talk to your dentist about other solutions. Your dentist can paint on a varnish or resin barrier to replace the enamel that you have lost. While these barriers can reduce your sensitivity, they also tend to wear down over time, so you'll need to have the barrier reapplied on a regular basis. Also, these barriers don't have the same effectiveness for everyone, so you'll want to discuss it with your dentist first.

For more information, talk to your dentist. He or she can suggest other ways to reduce your tooth sensitivity.

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