Healthy Teeth: How to Cope with Sensitive Teeth
Learn how to cope with sensitive teeth in this dental care video. Expert: Shane Methal, DDS
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Shane Methal On Coping With Sensitive Teeth Hi, my name is Dr. Shane Methal, here at Greene Street Dental in SoHo, New York. I've been in private practice both in Maryland and consequently back in New York for the last 17 years. My office website is www.greenestreetdental.com, that's green with an "e" at the end, and today I'm going to be talking about teeth and dentistry. Well, it's important to rule out any deeper or more severe problems which could cause your teeth to be sensitive. For that, you need to see your dentist. The problem could be as a result of gum problems, or cavities, or cracks in your teeth. Some people, however, just happen to have sensitive teeth. The most likely complaint is sensitivity around the gum line, where gums may have receded due to previous gum problems or overzealous brushing. For this, you can try an over-the-counter fluoride toothpaste or an even more specialized sensitivity toothpaste. If this does not work, then you can see your dentist and they can talk about some options in the chair, like applying a desensitizing agent to the specific tooth that may eliminate the cause. In addition, there are prescription fluorides which are much stronger than the fluoride you use in your at-home toothpaste, or a newer class of drugs called calcium pastes, which not only have prescription fluorides, which also have calcium and phosphate, which have been shown to strengthen and desensitize teeth. Once again, it's important to identify the cause.
