Back Tooth All Of A Sudden Sensitive To Cold? Possible Reasons Why And Treatment Options
If you suddenly feel horrible pain in one of your back teeth when you drink or eat something cold, this could be due to a variety of things. Below are two of these things and some treatment options your dentist will offer you so your tooth will get back to normal.
Receding Gums
If you are feeling the pain at your gumline, this is likely because the dentin is exposed. The top layer of your teeth is the enamel and the layer underneath the enamel is dentin. Dentin is a sensitive layer that is made of tubules and living tissue.
The job of the dentin is to communicate with the nerves of the teeth. When your gums recede, the dentin is exposed, which is why you feel pain at the gumline. You likely also feel pain in this area if eat something hot, such as soup.
Your dentist may perform a deep cleaning known as root planing or scaling to help with the receding gum. In more severe cases, the dentist will send you to a periodontist for gum graft surgery.
Lost Filling
If you are feeling pain directly inside the tooth and this tooth has a filling, the filling has likely fallen out. This is common if the filling is old as it will become weak over time. Eating a hard piece of candy or something very chewy can cause this problem. Clenching or grinding your teeth can also cause this problem. You may be doing this at night while you are sleeping and are not aware of it.
When you go to your dentist they will first do an X-ray to help them determine the best type of treatment. Your dentist may be able to simply replace the filling.
If the dentist finds there is a deep cavity or the nerves of the affected tooth are exposed, they will likely do a root canal to restore your tooth. After the root canal, the dentist may put a crown on your tooth. If so, a mold is taken of your tooth and sent to a lab to have the crown made for you. Before you receive your permanent crown, the dentist will put a temporary crown on your tooth.
In rare cases, the problem may be so severe that the dentist will have to extract the tooth. If so, the tooth will be replaced with either a removable or fixed bridge or a dental implant.
Your dentist can go over these options with you in detail so you can understand them better.
There are desensitizing products you can use to help manage your tooth sensitivity. Your dentist may apply a fluoride gel to your tooth to strengthen the enamel. There are also over-the-counter toothpastes that work well at helping with tooth sensitivity. Contact your family dentist to learn more.
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