Be Sensitive about having Tooth Sensitivity during the Winter Season

December feels mean the holiday season meets the winter season. Kids find it fun to play snow fights and build snowmen, but the shift from moderate to extreme cold may affect their teeth and they may not enjoy winter that much.

The most common case that the dentists receive from their patients is the tooth sensitivity, caused by cold weather like the winter season. Being exposed and unprepared (worst is if the teeth isn’t healthy) to the season would cause severe sensitivity as painful as the intake of hot and cold foods. Studies show that tooth sensitivity affects one out of four people, which means 45 million adults – ages 25-45 – in the United States, and 10 million of it being affected by it continuously.

The Root and the Fruit for Such Sensitivity

The painful and sharp feeling caused by sensitivity has been experienced by most of the people because of the cold foods, drinks and winter air. Aside from these unavoidable causes, serious tooth sensitivity usually happens when gums recede as gum tissues are being reduced due to wrong oral hygiene. This will then result to exposure of tooth roots, known as gingival recession, and theses roots lead directly to the tooth nerve or tooth’s pulp; thus, causing such sensitivity.

Tooth sensitivity is often caused by wrong oral hygiene in which one is unaware that these simple deeds may lead to severe pain overtime. Other than having dental health problems, here are the ones that cause it especially during winter season:

• Eating and drinking of hot and cold foods and beverages.
• Enamel destruction caused by eating acidic foods.
• Too much pressure on brushing the teeth, which remove the gum tissue.
• Poor oral hygiene, leading to build-up of plaques, which eventually turns into tartar. The bacteria from it will then cause gum disease and recession.
• Grinding of teeth.
• People with sense sensitivities, such as sense of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch usually experience tooth sensitivity.
• Aging goes along with gum recession over time.

Knowing that this poor oral hygiene was just caused by the lack of discipline among people, it’s fair to say that these could be avoided instantly with these tips:

• During winter, stay inside your home to avoid the cold air.
• Avoid hot and cold foods and beverages.
• Avoid highly acidic foods and drinks such as citrus and soda.
• Have a discipline of not grinding your teeth.
• Brush your teeth gently using soft brush as well as your gum line to avoid bacteria build-up. Brushing for about two to three minutes is recommended instead of the usual 30-45 seconds.
• Apply sensitive toothpaste when brushing your teeth daily. This could block the root pores in the tooth surface. Try rinsing it not that thoroughly after brushing for the toothpaste to linger for a long time.
• After brushing with sensitive toothpaste, a special fluoride gel is also recommended as prescribed by your dentist, which can be applied onto your gums.
• With the help of your dentist, placing conservative bonded fillings on the exposed root could help make nerves unreachable.
• If the gum or gingival recession is too severe, consult a periodontist, a gum specialist.

Yes, tooth sensitivity is often experienced during winter season, giving you a hard time doing what you must do for you suffer from severe pain. But these tips aren’t only recommended when one is already experiencing one, for it is a must for a daily basis – regardless of what season it is.

Untreated tooth sensitivity may result to permanent pulp damage, which is very costly compared to these simple and cheap tips. For your child to enjoy the winter season, teach him these tips and it will be his oral hygiene until he grows old.