Why Teeth are Sensitive
Myths:
There is a strange new dental problem sweeping the US. Statistics show more than half the people in the US have sensitive teeth! You would imagine dentists would be studying why this is happening, but believe it or not the information is all about treating the problem! Special pastes, gels and rinses can “block up” “open tubules” or “de-sensitize” nerves inside your teeth. Most dental journals have pages of advertisements for sensitive toothpastes and free samples are handed out at dental offices all over the country! Are these pastes the answer? Think again!
Hunt for the Answer:
Many advertisements for sensitive pastes are graphic and clearly explain what happens when you apply the products to teeth. Pictures show the pain occurs when open channels (called tubules) allow liquids to travel to the inside of your tooth and irritate nerves in the center. Some products deposit a kind of “putty” to block these tubules while others transfer metallic products that numb the nerves inside teeth. One advertisement shows a jug of milk pouring over a tooth and turning into an expensive paste that claims to repair these holes. So are these sensitive products the answer?
Your teeth develop holes if minerals dissolve out of them, opening up channels that allow liquids to travel into the center (live part) of your tooth. A healthy tooth is protected from such damage by an invisible layer of protein called a pellicle (imagine a film of saran-wrap) on the outside of the enamel surface. Cavities form if this layer becomes infected and it will balloon up into a white foam known as plaque. Sensitivity, gum recession and erosion can occur when this protective film disappears. Most people have witnessed saran-wrap frizzle when it is gets too hot, literally vanishing to nothing. Long periods of acidity or dry mouth make this protective pellicle layer vanish, leaving teeth without protection. This is when minerals easily dissolve away and teeth become sensitive.
Tooth Truths:
Bleaching products, baking soda, peroxide and periods of mouth acidity or dryness damage healthy pellicle. Sipping acidic drinks (even diet ones) iced teas, mountain dew, sports drinks, flavored waters, citrus juices, and lemonade etc (even a lemon-wedge in water) can “frizzle” your pellicle. Numbing pastes are scary since besides numbing tooth nerves, they may numb your taste buds at the same time! Putty in “holes” can give you relief today, but will fall out or wear off and you will have sensitivity all over again. You need to stimulate natural repair and build minerals into your teeth to stop sensitivity for life. Expensive “re-mineralizing” pastes do not impress me (though heavily endorsed by the ADA – since they have a patent on the intellectual property).
So try to figure out what happened to your natural protection and then choose a safe and permanent solution. Dairy products (especially fermented ones) Probiotics, xylitol, a balanced diet of vegetables and proteins, and the use of my Complete Mouth care System help “grow” this protective film back over teeth. I recommend you concentrate on protecting your teeth from acidity and mouth dryness all day with xylitol. These changes will not only take care of sensitivity problems (naturally and safely) but will keep your gums in tip top condition at the same time.
