What to do when you get sensitive teeth

When I was younger, I admittedly didn’t appreciate the importance of routine dental visits and flossing daily. I suppose, like many others, I figured that if there was nothing wrong, why go to the dentist more the necessary? I’d go for a cleaning once a year, but it wasn’t till I was in my twenties that I had a cavity. With a subsequent filling, I was pretty much determined to stay away from anyone with a drill. After a few years without seeing the dentist regularly, I found myself with sensitive teeth. Although I was fairly convinced it was because I had food caught between my teeth that I could reach with floss, I soon learned that my one deep filling was gone, leaving one of my molars unprotected and susceptible to tooth decay.

While I booked an appointment with my dentist as soon as I could, there was quite a wait and I had done increasing damage to my gums by trying to floss away an issue that had nothing to do with my gums, but indeed that molar. While I tried to use topical pain relievers to dull the pain associated with eating things such as ice cream, the only thing that would cure the issue was to have the filling replaced and yet while I had to wait, I tried Biotene sensitive toothpaste. While Biotene may be best known for symptoms of dry mouth, it has an active ingredient that helps with the pain of sensitive teeth. Thankfully, I’ve seen my dentist, had the tooth repaired, and avoided a route canal, but more importantly, I’ve learned that keeping up with appointments is the best preventative measure.