If you struggle with pain and tingling when you eat or drink anything hot or cold, you may have sensitive teeth. Most people develop sensitive teeth due to either enamel erosion or exposure of the roots of teeth. While many dental professionals will recommend reducing acid intake and brushing with a desensitizing toothpaste, meant to reduce the discomfort, sensitive teeth can actually be remedied by your dentist if it’s interfering with a patient’s quality of life.

Here’s how to combat the issue of sensitive teeth:

Tooth varnish
Many folks with sensitive teeth assume they can’t whiten their smile due to the pain and sensitivity teeth whitening procedures can create. The good news is that even with sensitive teeth, a beautiful white smile is possible. The trick is to use a teeth whitening formula in a diluted concentration. Many over the counter “Whitestrips” treatments offer gradual teeth whitening in a milder formula that you only need to apply for 5-minutes each day. A dentist can also prepare the teeth for an extended period by applying a desensitizing varnish directly onto teeth prior to teeth whitening.

Fluoride treatments
Believe it or not, the fluoride treatment that your dentist or dental hygienist offers at checkups can actually soothe some tooth sensitivity. Fluoride works to strengthen tooth enamel and dentin, a calcified tissue that also covers and protects teeth. So say yes the next time your dental office asks you if you’d like to swish some fluoride at your next checkup.

Root sealant
Another root (see what I did there) cause of mouth sensitivity is gum disease that erodes away at the tissues protecting the roots of teeth. If roots become exposure, the pain almost definitely becomes an issue. Thankfully, bonding or sealing agents can be applied by your dentist to restore the protective root covering, essentially blocking exposure to sensitivity in any exposed tooth roots.

Root canal
It may seem like a drastic measure, but if sensitive teeth are the bane of your day to day life, your dentist may recommend a root canal. This root canal treatment extracts soft pulp inside the tooth itself, reducing overall tooth sensitive in weakened teeth.

Mouthguards
Are you a tooth grinder? It shouldn’t surprise you that many teeth grinders don’t realize it because they grind their teeth during sleep. In fact, bruxism (i.e. grinding teeth in sleep), affects almost one in ten individuals in the U.S. This common issue can lead to tooth and root damage, exposing teeth to pain and sensitivity. However, a mouth guard, worn while you sleep, can prevent you from grinding, essentially reducing the prime cause of sensitive teeth, as well as jaw pain.