Considers Causes Of Tooth Sensitivity.

Citing ADA spokesperson Dr. Matt Messina extensively, TIME (5/21) reports on why people suffer from tooth sensitivity. Citing Dr. Messina, TIME reports that short-lived cold-induced pain may not be cause for alarm, “but if the pain is persistent and confined to a specific tooth or area of your mouth,” it may be an indicator of a micro-crack, a degraded filling, or a cavity, all of which require a dentist’s attention. If a person has sensitivities to cold, hot and biting pressure “we could also be talking about some sort of infection in the tooth,” Dr. Messina said. Sensitivity may be the result of issues with the gums, as “brushing too forcefully, chewing tobacco or allowing the buildup of plaque can all cause your gums to “run away” from your teeth, resulting in temperature sensitivity, Messina says.” Dr. Messina also said, “The solutions are often simple, but only if we address the problem early.”

A patient told me of an event that happened to him where he was eating. He bites into a hard object within the food he was eating. He was concerned that he had a broken tooth. The object looked like a piece of tooth but when he inspected his teeth with his tongue he said that all the teeth felt the same.

This sometimes happens when the food a person is eating has an object in it that is hard and happens to hit on top of a tooth. If the tooth breaks it will have a different shape and may be sharp edges. If the tooth seems not to have changed there may not be a problem. Depending how hard the patient hit the tooth,  the periodontal ligament may be bruised if so this will usually resolve in 2-3 days. If it does not you should contact your dentist.