Sensative teeth cause a problem for many

Press, 2 May 1988, Page 4

Sensative teeth cause a problem for many

By

DESMOND SMITH

8.D.5., D.D.H.P.

One of the sneakiest problems in the mouth is what the professional calls cervical sensitivity. It is an extreme reaction of the tooth to all sorts of things and is caused by the collar of gum shrinking back slightly from the neck of the tooth, so that a little part of the root is exposed to the air. Now roots are not like crowns which are covered with enamel. They have a covering of light yellow stuff called cementum and it is not nearly as hard or protective as ennamel.

As a result, any number of. things affect it and cause the nerve in the tooth to react. The simplest of these is cold air, and there are very few people about who have not taken in a mouthful of cold air at some time and just about gone through the roof.

We get fairly shrewd after a while and start avoiding the things we know will give us a jolt. Ice-cream is first-class in this regard, but so is hot coffee or an occasional chocolate.

All of these things put

extra pressure on the nerve by temperature change or sw’eet-sour action. Sooner or later, if we really clean our teeth as thoroughly as we should, the bristles of the toothbrush start finding out these delightful little spots in our mouth and make brushing pure joy! Mind you, our teeth can be even more subtle and just, start to ache with ordinary eating, leading us to believe that at last one of the troops is finally packing up. In these cases, there is frequently no sign of the gum line sensitivity unless we go deliberately looking for it. Most of us are not masochists, and so we don’t go searching out ways of hurting ourselves.

How these little detonator spots come about in the mouth is easy to explain, but not so easy to fix. One of the frequent causes is Father Time. As we get older, there is a process called passive eruption going on in the mouth. Naturally, the tops of teeth wear down a little over the years, and Nature compensates by having the tooth erupt ever so slightly more into the mouth.

The health of the gums is also not always perfect, and they can shrink slightly away from the necks of the teeth. Of course, if there is gum disease present, this process will be much more rapid. People who form a lot of tartar and then have it cleaned off know how the teeth can react for a little while afterwards. Another cause of sensitive spots is scrubbing too vigorously with too hard a toothbrush. The poor gums just cannot take that sort of treatment.

But the biggest factor in touchy, gum margins is our old friend, plaque. It builds up where cleaning methods miss and the irritation from its bacteria and the chemicals they produce does a very good job of breaking down our body’s protection where

gum meets tooth. ’ As to what can be done about gum-line sensitivities, the answer is not a popular one. First,- we have to locate them, and that is not much fun. Then, they have to be deliberately cleaned far better than is our custom, with both toothbrush and floss (or dental sticks, if that is what you prefer.) It is wise to use a desensitising toothpaste for the first few days, as this helps tremendously. But, make no mistake about it, the permanent solution depends on how efficient you are with plaque removal. In all fairness, it has to be admitted that there are some cases where the patient does everything right and yet the sensitivity stays. The dentist can step in here and use several ways to remove the discomfort. One that has been found particularly successful of late is the application of a material called cyanoacrylate. It can reduce the pain from these areas quite considerably within 24 hours. Remember though, keeping pain away will be up to you and your cleaning skills.

Word of Mouth