The problem of hypersensitivity is growing year by year, and recently it has increased sharply. In the 1960s, 5-15% of patients complained of this problem, but in the first decade of the 21st century the figure reached 40-57% worldwide.
What is tooth hypersensitivity?
Let’s look at this issue in detail to understand how it arises.
Tooth hypersensitivity, or hyperesthesia, is the tooth’s reaction to an external irritant, characterized by short, sharp pain.
Irritants may include factors such as:
- Hot or cold food or drinks, as well as air breathed in through the mouth.
- The chemical effect of food – the tooth’s reaction to sweet, salty, sour, etc.
- Mechanical irritants – a hard toothbrush, an electric toothbrush, various types of floss and toothpicks.
Hyperesthesia, or increased tooth sensitivity, is divided into two categories: enamel hyperesthesia and dentin hyperesthesia.
Enamel hyperesthesia is a functional deficiency: thinning of the tooth enamel caused by demineralization of the hard tissues of the tooth and cracks on its surface.
Causes of enamel hyperesthesia:
- Neuropsychiatric disorders;
- Emotional stress;
- Various diseases of the digestive and endocrine systems;
- Pregnancy or menopause in women
But we’d like to focus in more detail on dentin hyperesthesia, because this problem is the main source of acute pain and other unpleasant sensations in the mouth.
Hyperesthesia, or dentin hypersensitivity, appears as acute, lightning-fast pain when the dentin of the tooth is exposed and the so-called dentinal tubules open.
According to Brännström’s hydrodynamic theory, the movement of fluid in the dentinal tubules is directly linked to dentin hypersensitivity. Various external irritants, such as heat, cold, air and pressure, increase the speed of fluid movement in the open dentinal tubules, which raises the pressure inside the dentin, activates the nerve endings and causes sharp pain. As a rule, the pain disappears once the irritant is removed.
The main cause of dentin hypersensitivity (in 83% of cases) is non-carious tooth damage, such as pathological wear and wedge-shaped defects.
In the remaining 17% of cases, increased dentin sensitivity develops under the influence of the following factors:
- Carious lesions;
- Periodontal disease with gum recession;
- Bite disorders and post-restoration complications;
- Teeth whitening, both during and after the whitening process;
- Surgical procedures such as periodontal pocket curettage, flap surgery and gingivectomy;
- Poor oral hygiene.
At our clinic, hypersensitivity is treated with deep fluoridation of the teeth, which is used both to prevent caries and to treat increased sensitivity.
One way to avoid acute pain (with the direct help of a specialist) is to use a desensitizing toothpaste. Pastes containing calcium carbonate and arginine (a natural amino acid found in saliva) actively fight hypersensitivity.
As clinical studies have shown, arginine and calcium carbonate act at the molecular level: they attach to the dentin surface and “plug” the dentinal tubules. As a result, painful sensations are completely blocked and dentin sensitivity decreases. So there’s no need to put up with sharp, sudden pain – visit the “Nino Beridze Orthodontic Center”, where experienced specialists will quickly and professionally solve all your problems.
