Bite Back Against Sensitivity

By Gavin Ellis

In case you missed my most recent life update on social media, I recently switched toothpastes. Three days later, I could hardly eat or drink! Ice water made my teeth chatter. A bowl of soup made me feel like my teeth were melting. I racked my brain to try and figure out what changed. Then it hit me: my toothpaste! Could switching my toothpaste really cause all of this discomfort?

After having used toothpaste designed specifically for sensitive teeth for the better half of a decade, I decided it was time to use an extra tube I had lying around. Upon further inspection, this extra tube was whitening toothpaste, but nowhere did it say anything about soothing sensitive teeth. I never knew toothpaste could make such a difference in how temperature extremes affect tooth sensitivity. How exactly does sensitive toothpaste even work?

As it turns out, sensitive toothpaste isn’t magic. Instead, it blocks pain receptors in your teeth that respond to stimuli. Heat, cold, and sugar won’t be bothering you anymore once sensitive toothpaste blocks signals from reaching your teeth’s nerves or creates a protective barrier over exposed dentin.

Traditional sensitive toothpastes can use potassium nitrate, stannous fluoride, strontium chloride, calcium phosphate, and/or even aloe vera to calm tooth nerves, fortify enamel, and relieve pain and inflammation. The crazy part is you don’t even have to brush your teeth with it! Studies have shown that even applying sensitive toothpastes directly by fingertip to hypersensitive teeth can alleviate pain and sensitivity in a matter of days! That’s fast and targeted relief for sensitive teeth. What will they think of next?

You may not think that there is much more innovation to be done in terms of toothpaste advancement, but you’d be wrong. I, for one, am glad people decided to improve upon the ancient Egyptian toothpaste recipe of burnt eggshells, ox hoof dust, and ashes. New technology in toothpaste is looking to create a microbiome in the mouth! This new holistic approach aims to not only reduce the amount of harmful bacteria in the mouth, but also support the good bacteria which could help fight against cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Whether you’re dealing with occasional sensitivity or something more serious, the right toothpaste can make all the difference. Next time you’re reaching for that tube of toothpaste late at night or bright and early, rest easy knowing that science is hard at work to protect your pearly whites. And who knows, maybe the next big toothpaste breakthrough is right around the corner!