Serving patients of Erwin, Jonesborough, and Greeneville TN
Tooth sensitivity can be a real bummer, especially when you’re sipping an ice-cold beverage or enjoying ice cream. Feeling that unsuspecting zing through your tooth can ruin your refreshing moment. However, tooth sensitivity occurs while eating or drinking something cold is quite common in adults. If you experience any level of heightened sensitivity, you should talk to your dentist to pinpoint the cause and determine how best to deal with it. While occasional tooth sensitivity is usually harmless, albeit irritating, sometimes tooth sensitivity points to something more serious that requires professional dental care. So today on the blog, our family dentists in Greeneville share four common reasons teeth are sensitive and how we can help.
Thinning Enamel
Enamel is the hard, outermost layer of our teeth. It helps protect the tooth’s nerve and blood supply. However, enamel is porous, but everyone’s tooth structure varies, just like our skin, which explains why not everyone experiences tooth sensitivity. Unfortunately, enamel thinns as we age, and a highly acidic diet can accelerate this process. Thin enamel means less protection for the soft interior of your tooth, which results in increased tooth sensitivity. However, there are dental treatments to fix this problem by covering the tooth with a crown or porcelain veneer, depending on the severity of your condition. The dentist will offer the most suitable treatments.
Cracked or Chipped Tooth
If you have a cracked or chipped tooth, the tooth’s innermost layers or nerve can be exposed, which quickly results in discomfort ranging from a zing of pain to a continuous dull ache. While you may be able to feel if your tooth is chipped, enamel cracks require a professional examination, and sometimes X-rays, to confirm. But ignoring a cracked or chipped tooth inevitably results in more damage and could lead to tooth loss if not taken care of soon.
Cavities
Cavities are a result of harmful oral bacteria that erode dental enamel and may appear as dark gray or black spots on your teeth. Without prompt care, the cavity spreads deeper inside the tooth and can even affect surrounding teeth as well. Since cavities compromise the tooth’s enamel, it is common to experience tooth sensitivity when you have a cavity. Dentists can treat cavities of mild to moderate size by removing the decayed area of the tooth and then bonding a tooth-colored filling to the tooth.
Untreated Gum Disease
This chronic inflammatory oral disease can result in receding gums, which exposes the roots of your teeth. Therefore, it is inevitable that untreated gum disease often results in tooth sensitivity or pain. Unfortunately, about half of adults in the U.S. have some form of gum disease, which can often be prevented with oral hygiene practices like brushing and flossing daily. However, progressed stages of gum disease require professional dental treatments to prevent the disease from worsening or doing additional damage.
Family Dentists in Greeneville, Jonesborough, and Erwin, Tennessee
Each of the conditions listed in this article require professional dental treatment. And if ignored, each condition will result in further damage to your teeth and oral health. If you experience tooth sensitivity, schedule a consultation with Tusculum Dental Care to rule out any serious dental conditions or get the most effective treatment for your case. Learn more or schedule your appointment by calling (423) 639-7575.