Tooth Sensitivity Can Be Prevented

If you or someone you know has been complaining about sensitive teeth lately, your dentist will tell you that it is imperative that you schedule an appointment to make sure that you do not have a mouth issue. Dental carries and gum disease could be to blame for your hot and cold sensitivity. However, there could be a few other reasons that your teeth have all of the sudden become sensitive.

Acidic Foods

Eating oranges, grapefruit, lime, kiwi, tomatoes, and other acidic foods could be the reason that you feel tooth sensitivity. Try cutting out citrus and acidic foods for a while and see what happens.

Brushing too hard

If you think that the harder you brush the cleaner your teeth will be, you would be wrong. Brushing hard can actually wear away the protective layers on your teeth. If the dentin is exposed you will have tooth sensitivity. Your dentist recommends that you stop brushing with such gusto and switch to a soft bristled toothbrush.

Bruxism

Also known as tooth grinding or tooth clenching, bruxism can make your teeth sensitive. If you are a chronic tooth grinder chances are, you have worn away the enamel on your teeth exposing the microscopic tubes in your teeth to sensitivity. Bruxers often have tooth sensitivity because constant grinding will wear away the protective layers. Schedule an appointment with your dentist who can fit you with a custom made mouth protective that could help prevent tooth clenching and grinding.

Tooth Whitening Products

If you love white teeth, but have noticed that you have become sensitive to hot and cold, try switching brands. Always use a product that is on the American Dental Association approved product list as some of the whitening products, whether they are strips, gels, pastes or washes can make your teeth sensitive.

Of course, gum disease and tooth decay can cause tooth sensitivity, as can excessive plaque and recent dental procedures. Cracked teeth and old fillings could also be to blame when it comes to sensitive teeth.

You don’t have to deal with tooth sensitivity. Call or click and schedule an appointment with your dentist who may be able to help with your tooth sensitivity. Call or click today.   

Protect your Family with a Custom Made Mouthguard

It’s April and that means it’s Facial Protection Month and time to schedule an appointment with your dentist for a custom made mouthguard.

According to the Academy of Sports Dentistry, over 12 million kids, teens, and young adults between the ages of five and 22 have some sort of injury related to sports. Add that up and it’s nearly 20 million days of school that will be missed along with 34 billion dollars in healthcare costs. However, the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons will tell you that some of those sports related injuries may have been prevented had the person with the injury been fitted with a mouthguard.

The American Dental Association will tell you that there are three types of mouthguards available. Stock, Boil and Bite and Custom fitted.

Stock mouth protectors are available from your local pharmacy or a sporting goods store, and although they do provide some protection can be uncomfortable and cumbersome. Stock mouthguards make it hard to talk and even more difficult to breathe.

Boil and Bite mouth protectors are a step up from stock mouthguards and available from your pharmacy or sports stores. A Boil and Bite mouth guard is heated in hot water and immediately placed inside the mouth so that it molds to your bite.

A custom-made mouthguard is your best defense against sports related injuries that could include a blow to the head or a mouth injury. Your dentist is the only person who can fit you with a custom-made mouthguard that is designed from a dental impression that is made from your teeth.

Researchers have discovered that the most common sports related injuries occur in the following sporting activities: 

• Basketball
• Football
• Bicycling
• Playgrounds
• Soccer 

Everyone who plays any type of sport should consider wearing a mouthguard even if you are participating in a non contact sport such as gymnastics, surfing, mountain biking, skate boarding, racquetball, tennis, or golf. Kids and adults who play field or ice hockey, baseball, lacrosse and even water polo will benefit from wearing a mouth protector.

It’s National Face Protection Month. Celebrate and schedule an appointment with your dentist for a custom-made mouthguard for your entire family. Call now!