Sensitive teeth? page 2

[Paleobird]

I keep hoping they will settle down. I'm really very unhappy. I cannot close my mouth all the way anymore. One of them sticks out too much and I don't like the way it grinds/sticks/catches on the one below it. I went to the best dentist in town, too. I had multiple referrals from friends and the dentist had won the local best of award multiple years.

I noticed my natural toothpaste says that it's whitening and tartar control but no fluoride. I can't see how that would affect crowns, but perhaps it does.

You need to get that fixed. Soon. Perhaps that dentist wasn't the best one in town after all. If the bite is not coming together right, it is going to keep on jangling those nerves and not let the teeth settle down.

And you're right, your toothpaste is pretty irrelevant to crowns.

[Linny]

I agree with Paleobird. You need to get the crowns level so one isn't receiving the brunt of the pressure when chewing. Even though you do have crowns you might want to ditch the whitening toothpaste since it's known to make teeth sensitive.

Has the pain/sensitivity come on all of a sudden or been there all along since the crowns? It's it's sudden onset you'll want to go in to the dentist and have them look. I had sudden pain months after a crown and it turns out of the root was dying so they needed to do a root canal.

[snoops]

any dentist can grind down that one crown that sticks up. That happens sometimes with crowns. No big deal but it could be the cause of your problems. PS they should do it for free if they did the crown. I have very sensitive teeth too due to grinding at night. I now wear a mouth guard religiously every night. Takes a while to get used to but I do not want to break any more teeth!! I use Pro-namel because I think it tastes better than Sensodyne.

[Lewis]

I will probably have to get some major dental work. But I was curious if I could improve my extremely sensitive teeth somehow.

Mine used to hurt a few years ago. At the time I was eating a fairly standard diet and drinking more beer than was good for me.

They give me nary a twinge now.

Ramiel Nagel has it that the major problem with teeth is demineralisation.

Cure Tooth Decay: Remineralize Cavities and Repair Your Teeth Naturally with Good Food [Second Edition]: Ramiel Nagel, D.D.S. Timothy Gallagher: 9780982021323: Amazon.com: Books

He also, unusually, lays out an old theory of tooth decay that has it that the chief culprit there is actually demineralisation caused by ... blood-sugar spikes. He may well be right. The beer swilling could certainly do that.

He goes back to some of the Weston Price stuff, but takes an interesting and subtle view of it. Price thought that the major safeguard for teeth and bones was an abundant supply of minerals and of fat-soluble vitamins. Price, nevertheless, had a kind of "don't interfere with nature" view of food that led him to say than wholefoods, including wholegrains, were aways best. Nagel thinks that Price probably wasn't paying enough attention to how food was prepared, and that many traditional societies who did eat grain took out at least some of the bran, which contains chelating agents that, he says, will pull minerals from the teeth. He advances some interesting arguments, and another look at Price's own figures, that suggest that thought should be taken seriously. Nagel also tells, intriguing, that some keen WAPF parents who've given their children plenty of wholegrains have seen cavities as a result.

The takeaway? If you do occasionally eat grains, foods made from partially polished (but not perhaps totally "white" and certainly not bleached) grains may be best. But little or nothing in the way of that is probably safest.

The positive thing to emerge out of Price's work is probably the minerals/fat-soluble vitamins thing.

I'd buy Nagel's book and give his suggestions a whirl. I think making sure one has a mineral rich diet (and supplementing as necessary), eating organ meats a couple of times a week, taking some fish liver oil, and eating in such as way as to avoid spiking blood-sugar are all probably good strategies that are worth a try. Nagel suggests the naturally fermented cod liver oil from Green Pastures. I've used that, and I don't think it did me anything but good. He also thinks a small amount of the same company's skate liver oil can be beneficial.

I'd go easy on the teeth-cleaning and use a soft brush as has already been said. It may even be better to back off a bit and only brush once a day.

As for toothpaste -- Dr. Lo Radio had a good episode on Holistic Dentistry with a very knowledgable-sounding and caring dentist. The dentist doing that says he recommends only one toothpaste. I can't remember the name, and I don't think it's available in this country, but if you're in the U.S. that might be worth a look:

Holistic Dentistry with Dr Stephen Lawrence 01/17 by DrLoRadio | Blog Talk Radio

He also recommends using a water-pick to clean. That might be another option for getting the food particles out without damaging the gums in the way that over-enthusiastic brushing can.

[sbhikes]

The one crown that sticks out hurt a lot right away, so much so that I went back to the dentist and he gave me antibiotics (which I didn't take.) Eventually it subsided on its own, but I've never been able to chew anything substantial on that side since the dental work. The sensitivity to cold seems to have been building over time and seems pretty bad now. I don't remember it being so bad at first after the dental work. I always bleed from the gums so I try to be gentle, not that it makes any difference. I didn't even realize my toothpaste was whitening and tartar control. It's Tom's fluoride-free.

I hate going to the dentist. Grr. I just finally got my bank account back up to where it was before I went to the dentist for all this dental work. Cost me 4 grand. Merry Christmas to the dentist. I hope your kids go to a good college.

[meyns]

I've noticed that if I use regular toothpaste, they're sensitive. Even Sensodyne. I'm currently using Earthpaste and loving it. No pain, nothing. My teeth feel cleaner, too.

+1 for the Earthpaste.
I used to have sensitive teeth especially with cold drinks. I first switched to a natural toothpaste ala Tom's of Maine and it got better. Now I'm using Earthpaste and I'm going to switch to home made toothpaste. Like coconut oil and baking soda. I'm also flossing more and doing oil pulling. I'm still brushing with an electric brush but I'm also considering going for a soft manual brush.
I now have zero pain left, and my teeth look healthier. Also I have less plaque on my teeth.

I think the important factors for healthy teeth are:
- No sugars (easy on paleo)
- Use natural toothpaste (or even no toothpaste)
- Flossing
- Oil pulling

[Paleobird]

The one crown that sticks out hurt a lot right away, so much so that I went back to the dentist and he gave me antibiotics (which I didn't take.) Eventually it subsided on its own, but I've never been able to chew anything substantial on that side since the dental work. The sensitivity to cold seems to have been building over time and seems pretty bad now. I don't remember it being so bad at first after the dental work. I always bleed from the gums so I try to be gentle, not that it makes any difference. I didn't even realize my toothpaste was whitening and tartar control. It's Tom's fluoride-free.

I hate going to the dentist. Grr. I just finally got my bank account back up to where it was before I went to the dentist for all this dental work. Cost me 4 grand. Merry Christmas to the dentist. I hope your kids go to a good college.

The problem is the sticking out too far not an infection. This makes no sense.
My main symptom with the new crowns was cold sensitivity. If I would breathe with my mouth open outside on a chilly day (say running sprints) it would be wince worthy.
This will go away but not until you get the sticking out part sorted. Until then, your bite is not coming together right all over.
It is the dentist's fault and, if he has a shred of decency and would like to continue having your business, he will fix it for free.

[sbhikes]

Tell that to my gums that have bled since I was a child. In fact, I cannot remember a time when they did not bleed. Oddly, despite all my recent dental work, I have actually gone decades without cavities even on a bad diet and even without regular trips to the dentist.

[sbhikes]

Wow, over 6 minutes to get to the demonstration. They taught us to use tiny movements in elementary school.

I've decided to use a toothpick every day and see if that helps anything.

Years ago I had a friend whose brother was a doctor. He believed that tartar served a purpose and it shouldn't be disturbed. It should remain in place. I don't know if he was nuts or not, but that's what he believed.

I've always had a strong feeling that dentists invent a lot of your problems in order to make more money off you. I feel like that's what this dentist did to me. I went in with a broken tooth. I could have kept all my teeth and just had him fix that one tooth and I would have been better off. I hadn't been to a dentist in 15 years before this and all the cavities he pointed out were invisible to me. They can always see stuff I can't and it makes me wonder if it's ever really actually there. Years ago when I went to a dentist more regularly I never had cavities. I also didn't have insurance so there was less reason to make money off me.

[jo]

Lots of good advice. Make sure you are getting enough vitamin C too, but don't take chewable pills.