For more than 40% of American adults, tooth sensitivity can make simple activities, like eating and drinking, painful and uncomfortable. For these people, a hot cup of coffee, a cold glass of water, or a crunchy carrot can all cause significant discomfort in the mouth. The good news is that if you’re one of these affected, you don’t have to live in pain. There are several effective ways to alleviate tooth sensitivity and enjoy a celebrity smile, but first you must understand what causes it. Let’s examine the most common causes of sensitive teeth:

Poor Dental Hygiene

Letting your oral hygiene slide a little may not seem like a big deal, but it can have serious consequences. Failing to brush and floss regularly can cause unnecessary plaque buildup and gingivitis (inflamed gums), both of which are culprits in causing teeth sensitivity.

Many people believe that vigorously scrubbing their teeth is a good way to prevent these conditions, but brushing too hard also impacts sensitivity as it irritates the delicate gum area. When your teeth’s surface isn’t clean or it’s abrasively brushed, it opens the door for increased sensitivity.

Eating Acidic Foods

Acidic foods and beverages, like citrus fruits, tomatoes, fruit juice, sweets, and wine are all responsible for causing tooth sensitivity. These highly-acidic foods break down the teeth’s natural enamel. Tooth enamel is a hard protective coating on the outside of the teeth. While enamel is stronger than bone, it’s still susceptible to wear and tear.

The acidity found in certain foods, even healthy ones like oranges, can wear away this coating and lead to increased tooth sensitivity. This isn’t to say that you can’t enjoy acidic foods – just make sure to rinse well with a glass of water after consuming them.

Grinding Your Teeth

Most people who grind their teeth don’t even realize that they’re doing it. Teeth grinding, also known as Bruxism, usually occurs during sleep. While grinding is not typically painful itself, if leads to the erosion of your teeth’s protective enamel. Chronic teeth grinders will often suffer from pain and discomfort when eating hot or cold foods or sweets.

Gum Recession

The gums act as a protective barrier between the sensitive root of the tooth and the outside world. When your gums are recessed, or worn back, your teeth’s nerves lack that protection which can cause tooth sensitivity. Gum recession can be caused by aggressive brushing over time, or it can be the result of periodontal disease.

Post-Procedural Sensitivity

Common dental procedures can cause temporary discomfort in the mouth as well as increased tooth sensitivity. If you have just had a root canal, fillings, or even whitening procedures done, it’s not unusual to feel some temporary sensitivity. This should go away after a day or two as the mouth heals, but you should contact your dentist if you notice prolonged sensitivity.

There are many reasons why a person can have sensitive teeth. Fortunately, there are plenty of options available to help alleviate this condition and keep you smiling. Speak to your dentist to learn about your treatment options and to find a solution that’s right for you and your smile. Get in touch with your dentist to get started on the road to a bright, pain-free smile.

April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month. Oral cancer includes cancers of the tongue, lips, cheeks, hard and soft palate, floor of the mouth, sinuses, and throat. Thousands of people in the U.S. will die from this disease this year alone. With regular visits to the dentist, oral cancer can be diagnosed and treated early.

What Are the Possible Causes of Oral Cancer?

Although there is no way to know whether someone will get oral cancer or not, there are some risk factors you should know about. With these in mind, you can take action to reduce some of your risk of developing oral cancer.

• Age Typically, patients diagnosed with oral cancer are over the age of 40. Although there is nothing you can do to prevent this risk factor, you can make sure you are getting regular check ups at the dentist.
• Tobacco use Whether you smoke it in cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, or use dip, snuff, or chewing tobacco, tobacco use is linked to an increased risk of oral cancer.
• Excessive consumption of alcohol People who drink regularly and excessively are more likely to develop oral cancer, but it is still possible for people who don’t drink to get oral cancer, too.
• Viral infections such as HPV16 Certain strains of human papillomavirus increase the risk of oral cancer developing.
• Family history of cancer If family members have oral cancer, you may be more likely to develop it.
• Excessive sun exposure Excessive amounts of time in the sun, especially at a young age, can increase your risk for developing lip cancer.

Oral cancer is much more common in men than in women, although lifestyle choices are the biggest factors.

How Is Oral Cancer Treated, and Is Oral Cancer Curable?

With regular dental visits, oral cancer can be diagnosed in its early stages. Treatment typically involves a team of surgeons, dentists, oncologists, and nutritionists, as well as rehabilitation and restorative specialists. Surgery will remove the cancerous growth. Radiation therapy or chemotherapy are common treatment methods to destroy all of the remaining cancer cells.

Oral Cancer Rates in America

More than eight thousand people in the U.S. die every year from oral cancer. Nearly forty thousand will be diagnosed with the disease this year, and most of them will not live more than five years after being diagnosed. Oral cancers can often go undiagnosed until the disease spreads to other parts of the body. This leads to an extremely high death rate; higher, in fact, than many other cancers, including testicular cancer, cervical cancer, thyroid cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, or skin cancer. This is why regular dental exams are so crucial to diagnosing and treating the disease in its early stages.

Oral cancer awareness can help reduce the lifestyle risk factors that contribute to the disease, and regular oral exams allow for early diagnosis and treatment before the cancer spreads to other areas of the body.