Hot and cold foods often trigger tooth sensitivity and this is very normal. Even if it is normal, it is certainly not liked especially when you have to eat your favourite ice cream. Tooth sensitivity usually results from loss of enamel that may cause pain in your teeth especially when you eat something hot or cold that your nerve endings may feel and give you pain. There are a lot of reasons you have sensitive teeth, and here are some of the reasons:
BRUSHING HARD
Most of us brush hard thinking it cleans the teeth well. You are wrong here, brushing too hard does more harm than good. It damages the teeth enamel and gums making your teeth sensitive. Avoid brushing too aggressively; brush your teeth with gentle vertical movements. More on how to brush your teeth >>
USING A WRONG TOOTHPASTE
There are a lot of toothpaste varieties in the market. There are toothpastes for tartar, whitening, strong teeth etc. Using a lot of tartar and whitening tooth pastes can cause sensitive teeth. This is because they are too abrasive than a normal usual toothpaste. Always choose normal toothpaste because anyways the whitening and other toothpaste seldom work and only cause damage. If you have already developed tooth sensitivity, use toothpaste specifically made for the condition since it is gentle and reduces the sensitivity. Natural toothpaste recipes >>
NOT VISITING A DENTIST
Keeping your teeth healthy is the key to preventing tooth sensitivity. We often have cavities that we often ignore. Cavities have open nerve endings especially if it is in a very bad condition. Anything hot or cold when you eat causes pain due to nerve endings in there. Consult a dentist and get root canal done or fill in the cavities. It is a good practise to visit the dentist as he/she can keep a check on any periodontal disease that is also one of the reasons behind sensitive teeth. More on solutions to common denture problems >>
NOT USING A STRAW
Straws can literally cut down the risk of causing sensitive teeth by 80%. If you drink a lot of fruit juices, cola, tea, coffee and a lot of other drinks, possibility is that these drinks are making your teeth sensitive- especially cola! Cold is even suspected to damage the tooth enamel. Always use a straw while you drink the beverages since it keeps your teeth from coming in contact with the drink.
USING TOO MUCH MOUTHWASH
Most of the over the counter mouthwashes contain alcohol and many other chemicals. Using mouthwashes can definitely make your teeth more sensitive because they gradually damage your tooth enamel. This can get worst if you already have dentin exposed. Instead of using commercial mouthwashes, go for homemade mouthwashes like clove water. More mouthwash recipes >>
GRINDING YOUR TEETH
If you have a habit of grinding teeth, you better recover from the habit ASAP because that can cause tooth sensitivity. Making people do this while they are stressed, in sleep, or when they are nervous or excited. If this is your night time problem, you can wear a mouth guard in order to prevent this.