Dr Hive - Sensitivity in child's teeth

[abba12]

Eldest got her first adult teeth about 4 months ago, so they're new, but not barely-emerged, they're about 2/3rds out I think. 

 

The past few weeks she has complained that these teeth are sensitive. She has specifically and consistently stated that they hurt when she eats cold food such as a cucumber or tomato from the fridge, so it appears to be sensitivity rather than pain or soreness. (she has complained of pain when eating things like room-temperature apples, but identified that pain as coming from her other, slightly wiggly teeth rather than the new adult ones so I think that's normal and unrelated, but it appears that she understands the difference in pain).

 

I know kids can get sensitive teeth from cavities and stuff, but, these teeth are like 4 months old, and were seen by a dentist 2.5 months ago and he said they looked good then, so poor hygiene seems extremely unlikely as the cause. I also know brand new teeth can hurt shortly after emerging but, again, these are 4 months old, hardly 'brand new', and she only began complaining a few weeks ago so I don't think they hurt when they first came out (or could it be that they were below the line of their other teeth and just not in contact with the cold items until they got bigger?)

 

Seeing the dentist again so soon is not ideal given our situation, it's a lot of money for an issue which is probably nothing, and the dentist we see has a two or three month book-ahead time for non urgent issues anyway. I'm happy to have her just use my sensitive toothpaste but I want to be sure I'm not covering up some serious problem. 

[Schadenfreude]

This happened to my daughter. Our dentist said using toothpaste with whitening ingredients all the time can make adult teeth sensitive. We switched to a plain old toothpaste (surprisingly hard to find) and everything was fine within a couple weeks. Hope it is something that easy for y'all.

[Tap]

Unless the dentist finds a cavity or other physical issue (receded gums etc), they will likely say to switch to a non-whitening version of sensitivity toothpaste like Sensodyne. Put a good size blob on her brush and have her brush for a full minute without rinsing. Sensitive teeth style toothpastes have higher fluoride content which fills the miro-sized holes in the surface on teeth. If that doesn't help in a couple of weeks, then go to the dentist.


My guess though is that the issue has more to do with the wiggly teeth being nudged by the new bigger teeth. Pain can radiate in the mouth along nerves, so that a bottom tooth can cause perceived pain in the top teeth.

Edited February 17, 2017 by Tap

[StephanieZ]

Dh and I both used to have bouts of very sensitive teeth at times, for weeks/months. A few years ago, our dentist told us the most AMAZING trick, and it works 100% for both dh and I, and apparently zillions of people, per our dentist!

 

It's ACT mouthwash (or similar, it's the high fluoride you want). Fluoride actually very effectively desensitizes teeth!! SO, go buy a bottle of ACT. They sell several varieties -- look at the label and be sure to choose one of the ones with the highest fluoride concentration. Use it as directed, as a mouth wash, twice a day, for a full minute or two. Within a week or so, I bet she'll notice a huge improvement. For us, we're "cured" within a week or so. I have more consistent issues with sensitive teeth, so I've just adopted ACT as my regular mouthwash (daily). Dh uses it only as needed, usually a week at a time every year or so. 

 

Sensodyne toothpaste can also be effective, and uses some different desensitizing drug. You can use it, too, at the same time as the ACT if you like. (I use it when I'm using tooth whitening strips, in addition to the ACT, as the tooth whitening otherwise sensitizes my teeth . . . with the ACT & Sensodyne, I can whiten at will. 

 

Good luck!

[Pawz4me]

Last month, at my hygienist's suggestion, I switched to Colgate Sensitive toothpaste. It was almost an immediate cure for my teeth that have become sensitive due to nighttime jaw clenching. The hygienists said that teeth have something similar to pores (like skin pores) and that regular toothpaste is designed to make the pores open to absorb fluoride better. And then the pores close slowly over several hours. The pores being open is what causes/contributes to sensitivity. The toothpastes made for sensitive teeth don't make the pores open or don't make them open so much or make them close faster. I forget how she said that works. But she did say that sensitive toothpaste is absolutely different than regular (and certainly different than whitening).

[LuvToRead]

I had a dentist tell me that tartar control toothpaste is hard on your enamel.  I switched to sensitive toothpaste and haven't had a problem since.  This has been over 15 years ago.

[Elizabeth 2]

Another thing to consider is just the anatomy of the permanant vs primary dentition. The pulp of the tooth is much closer to the surface in adult teeth when they are first erupted. As a person ages, the dentin continues to grow inwards, increasing the distance between the enamel and the pulp. This is why many older folks who still have their teeth will eat and drink foods with crazy temperature differences with no sensitivity issues. Also, with newly erupted teeth, the root isn't fully developed. The pressure of eating an apple can be enough to cause pain when the root just isn't there to support it yet.