Tooth Sensitivity Treatment

Beneath the enamel and the root’s covering is a softer layer called dentin. When worn enamel, receding gums, decay or a crack expose it, hot, cold, sweet and sour reach the nerve.

One sensitive tooth points to something local: a cavity, a cracked tooth, a worn filling or an exposed root. It deserves an exam soon.

Common reasons are enamel wear, a root exposed by a receding gum, a new cavity or a crack. An exam with digital x-rays tells them apart.

Your dentist finds the cause first, then treats it: in-office fluoride and desensitizing for relief, a filling for decay or a worn filling, a gum graft for an exposed root, or a root canal when the nerve is involved.

Brief zings to cold across several teeth point to exposed dentin; pain in one tooth, pain when biting or lingering pain point to decay, a crack or the nerve. An exam confirms which.

Your dentist asks what triggers the pain, checks each tooth and your gums, tests the sensitive spots and takes x-rays if needed, then explains the cause and the fix.

Removing tartar or whitening can briefly expose sensitive spots, and it fades within days. If it lasts, come in so the cause is checked.

Yes, for a few days or weeks after a deep filling. Sensitivity that keeps getting worse, or a bite that feels high, means the filling needs a check.

Call the same day if it comes with swelling, a fever, a throbbing ache or pain when you bite. Those can point to an abscess or a crack.

It can be. Sensitivity to sweets, or in one spot, often points to decay, while brief zings across several teeth usually point to exposed dentin. An exam with digital x-rays tells which.