How Does Using a Sensitive Tooth Toothpaste Make Your Pain Easier?
Posted on 5/24/2021 by Barbara Ketchum
If you have problems with dental sensitivity, especially when it comes to eating hot or cold foods, we may suggest that you use a toothpaste, endorsed by the American Dental Association (ADA), that reduces tooth sensitivity.
What Does a Sensitive Tooth Toothpaste Contain to Desensitize the Teeth?
The ingredient that treats tooth sensitivity in a sensitive tooth toothpaste is potassium nitrate. It often is combined with sodium fluoride to lessen dental discomfort, thereby making it easier to eat hot or cold foods or consume anything containing sugar. Normally, the active-listed ingredients in a desensitizing toothpaste include potassium nitrate, fluoride, and strontium acetate. Potassium nitrate, by itself, clogs the tubules in the tooth's dentin layer so the level of activity of the sensory nerves is reduced.
How Fluoride Reduces Sensitivity
Fluoride reduces sensitivity and strengthens the dental enamel, thereby helping the tooth regain the minerals it loses during demineralization. Sodium fluoride, when applied to the dentin layer, forms a protective barrier resulting in desensitization.
How the Tooth's Dentin Affects Sensitivity
The dentin is the portion of the tooth beneath the enamel and cementum. The cementum represents the connective tissue that forms along the root of the tooth, connecting the tooth to fibers that support its place in the jawbone. The cementum is like enamel, only softer. A tooth's cementum also covers the bone-like dentin - a substance that makes up most of a tooth structure. The dentin layer contains small hollow tubes or canals that are called tubules. When the dentin is left unprotected, or the enamel wears away, the tubules capture sensations of hot or cold. Temperature variances as well as sticky or acidic foods stimulate the cells and nerves inside the tooth, which leads pain or sensitivity.
Using a toothpaste that takes care of sensitivity can make eating easier and reduce any oral health complaints about discomfort or pain. If you have problems with dental sensitivity, contact our office for an appointment so we can determine the cause.
If you have problems with dental sensitivity, especially when it comes to eating hot or cold foods, we may suggest that you use a toothpaste, endorsed by the American Dental Association (ADA), that reduces tooth sensitivity.