Easing Your Child’s Tooth Sensitivity

If your child suffers from sensitive teeth, it can make life much less fun. Sensitive teeth can cause pain during talking, chewing, and even breathing. The cause of sensitive teeth is usually due to the wearing-down of tooth enamel, which exposes the nerves of the teeth. This will cause pain when the nerves are exposed to hot or cold temperatures or even air.

Easing Your Child’s Tooth Sensitivity

While sensitive teeth are a bummer, there are a few ways to help ease your child’s tooth sensitivity. These include:

• Switch toothpaste – There are a number of gentler toothpaste formulas made especially for those with sensitive teeth. Make sure your child’s sensitive toothpaste contains potassium nitrate or strontium chloride. These are the ingredients that block pain signals to the nerves of your child’s teeth, easing the pain.
• Switch your child’s toothbrush – While you should normally be switching out your child’s toothbrush regularly anyway, if he or she suddenly begins complaining of sensitivity, you may want to consider switching. Get your child a soft-bristled brush or one geared towards those with tooth sensitivity.
• Keep a diary of flare-ups – Keep track of the foods your child eats and note which ones tend to worsen the sensitivity of the teeth. Once you can see a pattern, you can begin to cut these foods out and avoid the sensitivity.

Lastly, if your child is suffering from sensitive teeth, please make sure to consult with his or her pediatric dentist. If your child is undergoing orthodontic treatment, please let us know of any sensitivity issues.

To make an appointment at Garlock Orthodontics, please call our Aurora, Colorado orthodontic office today.