Tooth Sensitivity

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#1 Post by **Regina Rose** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 8:54 am

akireamil, I had this experience myself a few weeks ago with one of my canines. I was drinking some cold milk in our work cafeteria and all of a sudden felt like my mouth had been shocked by electricity - almost fell out of my seat!

This sensitivity to cold lasted several days, then the tooth became sensitive to any liquid and even to the slightest touch. At that point I was convinced that there must be something terribly wrong with it and that I would probably need a root canal (yes, I am a worrier!).

So I finally call my orthodontist, who told me that this is a perfectly normal thing to experience with braces. After being repeatedly reassured by him that, yes, moving teeth REALLY CAN cause that kind of pain, I took more ibuprofen and tried to ignore it. Interestingly, by the next day it was gone (it lasted about six days total).

So, yes, call your ortho if it keeps bothering you and, in the meantime, don't panic. As for Sensodyne toothpaste, I use that all the time anyway and I did find it helped (but only briefly) when I would rub some on the tooth. OTC pain meds work much better. And room temperature liquids are definitely the way to go until the hypersensitivity passes.

#2 Post by **amd** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 9:38 am

I also have extreme hypersensitivity due to root exposure on my canines. Just having my teeth dried to get the brackets on was torture. I would suggest the following (this is what my ortho has provided me with):
1. If the pain does not subside or "interrupts" your daily routine - call your dentist and/or ortho just to ensure that nothing is wrong with the tooth.
2. Use sensodyne 2x daily.
3. Rinse with warm salt water at least 3-4 times daily. This helps keep your mouth and gums healthy.
4. Get your dentist or ortho to give you some fluoride to put on your teeth before you go to bed. This builds up the tooths enamel which helps reduce sensitivity. They gave me : Gel 7 HT Neutral pH Fluoride Gel. DIN#02034549 made by GERMIPHENE Corp Brantford, Ontario Canada 1-800-265-9931. If you're not in Canada that should be enough information for your dentist or otho to at least know what it is you are asking for.
5. Do not use mouth wash with any alcohol. Biotene is a good mouth wash without all of the abrasives.
6. Your ortho or dentist should also be able to provide you with an in office treatment of fluoride should the home treatment not be sufficient. This treatment is "painted" onto the teeth and should last 6 months. Do NOT use Stannous Fluoride - available over the counter as it stains the teeth a brownish colour (as per my dentist).
7. Avoid any and all temperature extremes until the sensitivity subsides (my own personal experience). The teeth are in "hyper" mode now so that they seem to overreact to different things more intensly.

The first 5 days for me was unbearable with respect to the sensitivity. I thought for sure that I would have to get the braces removed because it was so bad. When they painted on the fluoride - that hurt. But now 19 days into it the sensitivity is almost gone. My ortho said that it may come and go over the next two years.

I hope this information helps. Sorry to be long winded but I totally understand your pain and wanted to help.

#3 Post by **Regina Rose** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 12:29 pm

amd,

My ortho did mention the possibility of root exposure causing the pain but, fortunately for me, that was not the case. I had my braces on for about ten months before I ever encountered the problem and it vanished as quickly as it came (great advice though for people with root exposure issues).

akireamil,

When I first experienced the sensitivity to cold, I had no idea which tooth was the culprit - my entire left side seemed to hurt from it. Eventually though I managed to narrow it down to the one canine - and I still can't believe how much grief that tooth caused me! My ortho has been using some very tight powerchains to close my upper extraction gaps and I think this tooth was rebelling against being treated so harshly. (The stubborn canine got its way because I now go in every three weeks instead of two for adjustments.)

#4 Post by **Jillianleab** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 12:39 pm

It's been said before, but try Sensodyne! When I first got braced I was having a lot of painful sensitivity with any liquid that was anything but lukewarm. I switched to sensodyne and it went away. Oddly enough, at one point, I tried a different brand of toothpaste for sensitive teeth, and the sensitivity came back!!!

I switched back to sensodyne and within a few days I was back to normal. I figure sensitivity is caused by the teeth moving, but certainly if it doesn't go away, go pay your dentist or ortho a visit!

#5 Post by **wmastin** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 12:49 pm

With regard to the sensodyne, make sure it's not the whitening kind and really rub it into the sensitive area in addition to brushing. (Use guaze or a q-tip.) Don't rinse, just spit after rubbing it in and don't eat or drink for a while. The floride rinse is also a great idea.

#6 Post by **wmastin** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 3:24 pm

KK wrote:wmastin this is the toothpaste my orthodontist recommended I use.

Difference of opinion, I guess. My orthodontist specifically said to not use whitening products of any kind while the braces are on.

That aside, with tooth sensitivity, you want to eliminate anything that could possibly add to the problem. Whitening products are known to increase sensitivity for *some* people. My regular dentist provided told me to use non whitening when I was having sensitivity issues.

#7 Post by **Natalie** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:10 pm

i've been having these issues too! first it started with one of my front bottom teeth and then the other day started on one of my top front teeth! i was told by my dentist it was nothing to do with braces so it's reassuring to know that she may have been wrong seeing as other people seem to be having the same probs! i;ve been using sensodyne until recently and then stopped...i bought some other brand version today so we'll see if that's as good (i'm just being stingy! i think sensodyne is pretty expensive)