Overcoming Dental Hypersensitivity

Not everyone can enjoy the tasty cold drinks and ice cream, even if you can tend to be avoided. The reason? Sharp teeth ache on contact with cold ice water. In some people, teeth can ache when exposed to wind or when in contact with acidic foods. This is often considered the wind then, and people rarely come to the dentist to deal with because they think it’s not a serious health problem. Though this problem deserves attention and not let it go, hoping to disappear by itself.

Actually, the term dental hypersensitivity is not so precise. Among dentistry, this phenomenon is known as dentine hypersensitivity. Not every sense of pain caused by hypersensitivity. Caries (cavities) which reaches dentine can also cause tooth pain complaints in contact with food / drink cold or sweet and sour. Besides it can also because of a broken tooth, which cause secondary caries under fillings.

In order for tooth hypersensitivity mechanism may be understandable, it’s good we see again the anatomy of teeth. Teeth consist of layers. Outer tooth structure is the loudest, called email. Email can be hard because it is composed of hydroxyl apatite crystals. Below is an email composed of dentine tubule or pores, and much softer than email. End of these nerve fibers is located at the end of the dentine tubule. If there is a stimulus, nerve fibers located at the end of the dentine tubule are stimulated, so it has a sense of pain. This stimulation e.g. thermal stimulation (heat / cold), especially cold. Teeth can also become hypersensitive after the procedure tooth whitening / dental bleaching.
While a sharp pain when the teeth had no caries or other dental abnormalities are characteristic of dentin hypersensitivity. Usually, the area most often have hypersensitive teeth is the neck area, especially on the surface of the teeth facing the lips. As shown in the picture above, the dentin in the teeth thinner neck. In areas not covered with a layer roots email. So if the email in the neck area experiencing tooths abrasion, dentin will open automatically and can lead to dentine hypersensitivity.

Calculus / tartar accumulate initially in the neck area teeth, and gums over time can be a recession / decline because more and more congested calculus. After scaling (tartar cleaning), usually tooth ache, because the root surface that had been covered by the reef clean teeth and dentine now be open.
Dentine hypersensitivity can also occur in a physiological (natural), namely the parents where the gums generally declining or gingival recession. This gingival recession increased as you age.
Prevention of dentine hypersensitivity

Materials erosive food that tastes like fruit acids, acidic fruit juices, and alcoholic beverages play a role in dentine hypersensitivity. Acid arising from the stomach in people with digestive problems are also prone to having dentine hypersensitivity. In addition, brushing with abrasive toothpaste can also abase dentin surfaces of teeth in the neck area. Therefore, not advisable to brush your teeth immediately after consuming food / drink acid to reduce the damaging effects of acid and abrasion. Should be given the lag time between 2-3 hours. Brushing teeth is also not necessary to excessive pressure and do the vertical direction from top to bottom.

Dentine hypersensitivity treatment

Dentine hypersensitivity treatment can be done at home or by a dentist in the practice.

     * Treatment at home

Patients can reduce dentine hypersensitivity at home using toothpaste and mouthwash containing certain active ingredients. Most of the desensitization of toothpaste on the market today contains potassium salts such as potassium nitrate, potassium chloride, or potassium citrate. Consumer demands jelly in choosing toothpaste ingredients that claim to reduce tooth hypersensitivity. Has conducted research that tested the effectiveness of toothpaste that contains potassium citrate. Potassium ions are believed to diffuse into dentine tubule and reduce the possibility of stimulated nerves, so that reduced dentin hypersensitivity.

Much toothpaste also contains other active ingredients such as fluoride and antiplak materials. Tropical fluoride application to make a barrier on the surface of the tooth with the formation of precipitates of calcium fluoride (CaF2) which closed dentin tubule. The result can be reduced dentin hypersensitivity.

How to brush your teeth also noteworthy. Most people rinse his mouth after brushing your teeth. Actually, mouthwash, mouthwash do not need too much because the mouthwash with water can cause the active ingredient to be dissolved and cast out of his mouth so that the effectiveness of the toothpaste to be reduced.

     * Treatment by a dentist

To reduce dentine hypersensitivity, dentists applies desensitization material for the purpose of closing the dentine tubule, thereby reducing hypersensitivity. These materials may contain fluoride, or potassium nitrate, or other active ingredients. However, desensitization agents usually do not last too long, the effect is only temporary.
In addition can also be treated by using adhesive materials, including varnish or the dentin that open in the neck and roots of teeth covered with patches materials.