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Sensitive teeth can be caused by a number of issues including an exposed nerve, a fractured or worn tooth, and receding gums. While visiting a dentist is the best way to prevent most of these issues, you can avoid the pain that is associated with sensitive teeth by limiting certain foods and drinks. Here are the most common types of food that can agitate your teeth and cause a lot of pain.

Foods To Avoid If You Have Sensitive Teeth:

Hot and Cold Food

Many of the foods that can cause pain to sensitive teeth are not caused by the specific food but by the temperature of the food. Extremely cold or hot foods can cause pain on the fractured tooth or teeth. Ice cream and cold drinks can cause pain, but the worst is chewing ice. Hot coffee and tea along with hot soup are warmer foods and drinks that can cause sensitive teeth to be aggravated. The best solution is to avoid these types of food and opt for meals with less extreme temperatures.

Acidic Food

Acidic foods such as citrus fruits, like lemons and oranges, along with vinegar-based foods, like pickles and olives, can often cause sensitive teeth and can make the pain that comes along with sensitive teeth worse. Acidic foods wear away at the enamel of the tooth which can make the problem worse.

Sugary Candies

Most kinds of candy will cause discomfort for sensitive teeth. Hard candies such as suckers and peppermints, which people tend to bite down on, can create further damage to your teeth along with causing strong pains. Furthermore, chewy candies such as gummy bears and licorice can get stuck inside open cavities and under gums, which will cause discomfort.
While certain foods can cause pain to your teeth, there are other foods that can help relieve discomfort.

Food That is Good for Sensitive Teeth:

Dairy Food

Milks, cheeses, yogurt, and other dairy products contain a protective protein layer known as casein. This protein acts as a shield from acidic elements that tend to hurt the teeth. As well, casein is able to keep minerals essential to healthy teeth from leaving the tooth.

Oxalate-Rich Food

Oxalic acid is in many nutrient-rich foods, such as spinach, carrots, and radishes. It is what causes the fuzzy feeling on your teeth when eating. This feeling is oxalate crystals precipitating on your teeth, which helps plug up dentinal tubules. This is the area where pain starts. Try eating foods rich in oxalic acid to help stop pain and reverse the causes of the sensitive teeth.
Of course, the best way to prevent sensitive teeth is by proper oral hygiene practices and visiting your dentist at least twice a year. Properly flossing once a day and brushing your teeth at least twice a day are great ways to help prevent your teeth from becoming too sensitive.
If you are experiencing a noticeable amount of discomfort in your mouth when chewing any of the types of food above, it is recommended you visit your dentist to determine the cause of the aching before it becomes a bigger problem than necessary. If you have more questions about teeth sensitivity, contact Water Tower Dental today, we’re happy to help!

Receding gums happen when the gum tissue that surrounds the lower ends of the teeth begin to wear away and pull back, thus exposing the tooth and possibly its root. Gaps between the teeth, also known as pockets, form, allowing bacteria to nestle inside the available space causing more harm, including inflammation, gum disease, and tooth loss. To help prevent your gums from receding, it helps to know what causes receding gums, and ultimately, how to prevent it.
There are a number of reasons for receding gums, some which are not in your control, and some which are. Here are the main causes of receding gums:

Periodontal or Gum Disease

While receding gums can often perpetuate and/or cause gum disease, it can also cause your gums to recede. Gum disease is a bacterial infection that destroys gum tissue, which first includes the areas around the teeth.

Brushing Too Hard

While you may think you’re doing a good job brushing, you may actually be causing more damage than good if you brush too aggressively. This can wear down the enamel of your teeth and push your gums down, causing them to recede.

Genes

Unfortunately, some people are more susceptible to receding gums and gum disease than others. If your family members have had problems with their gums, you may want to pay more attention to yours.

Hormones

Another uncontrollable factor, certain periods in a woman’s lifetime can cause hormonal changes that cause your gums to become more sensitive and more prone to gum disease and receding gums. This includes puberty, pregnancy, and menopause.

Tobacco

Tobacco products tend to leave more plaque on your teeth, allowing more bacteria to build up and cause your gums to recede.

Lack of Dental Care

Along with brushing and flossing daily, visits to your dentist for cleanings and inspection will help keep your gums from receding. Ignoring both daily brushing and flossing as well as dental visits, will allow plaque and tartar to build up and your gums to recede.

Grinding Your Teeth

When you grind your teeth, you are often putting too much force on them, which can result in gums receding.
These are the main causes of receding gums, all, except for two, you are able to prevent. The good news is, that with proper care, you can improve the effects of receding gums and gum disease. If it’s a more serious case of gum disease, a visit to your dentist for a deep cleaning, and potentially a prescription for antibiotics to kill the bacteria, will be in order. In the worst cases, soft tissue grafts and pocket depth reduction procedures can help stop your gums from receding and build a better smile.
The best way to prevent receding gums is by daily brushing and flossing along with the use of a low-alcohol mouthwash. Dental check ups with an experienced dentist every six months are also a necessity. As well, avoid tobacco products and eat foods high in nutritional content such as fruits and vegetables.
While it may not be a concern now, receding gums and gum disease can lead to many more complications you will be happier without. Taking preventative measures and understanding the causes are the best way to keep that bright smile.

Many people mistakenly think that their teeth are made up of the same materials as their bones. Well, think again! Teeth are actually very different than bones, made up of several layers of tissue and minerals that help protect the teeth and keep them lasting a long time without the worry of serious wear. So while your teeth may look like funny-shaped bones, they are quite different.

While maybe similar to a bone in the way they look and feel, teeth differ in many ways. First and foremost, the anatomy of the bone compared to teeth is very different. The tooth consists of a center, or the pulp, which includes connective tissues, blood vessels, and nerves. This is the area that will cause a toothache if exposed or if a cavity reaches down to it. Bones, on the other hand, have a center filled with marrow that produces white blood cells, cells that your teeth do not do produce. The blood flowing through bones is made possible by arteries that pass through the bone and to the marrow.
The next layer of the tooth is known as dentin. This is the substance that makes up the majority of the tooth, and protects your teeth from the wear and tear of daily use, including eating, drinking, and harsh temperature changes. Dentin is calcified tissue, and is what helps make your teeth the hardest part of the human body. The only thing harder than dentin is the outer layer of your tooth, which protects the dentin. It’s the shiny white enamel that makes your teeth look so clean and bright. Enamel coats the tooth above the gum, while below your gums, cementum coats the roots and keeps your teeth in place.
Your bones’ outer layers are made of periosteum, which is a dense membrane that coats the outer surface of most bones. Periosteum also contains osteoblasts, which are cells that manufacture new bone growth and repair broken bones. This is something your teeth cannot do, and is a big reason why it’s important to take such good care of your teeth.
Another major difference between bone and teeth is the bone’s flexibility. Most of the bone’s makeup is of the protein collagen. This is a living, growing tissue that allows a bone to withstand pressure, while the calcium that makes up the rest of the bone allows the body to withstand its own weight. Teeth don’t have this kind of flexibility.
While teeth and bones are very different, they do have one obvious similarity: only you are responsible for their well-being. Taking care of both means eating right and taking preventive measures to make sure your body is out of harm. For teeth, this includes brushing and flossing everyday along with regular visits to the dentist for cleanings.
If you have any more questions on the makeup of your teeth or are interested in seeing one of Chicago’s top rated dentists, do not hesitate to call Water Tower Dental at (312) 787-2131.

For the young and old, teeth grinding is a serious concern. Thankfully there are methods to stopping teeth grinding before it gets too serious. For the young, however, this can be harder to do than for an adult. Children have less of a conscious attitude toward health than an adult, who understands the cause and effect of such bad habits. For children, it will take the help of their parent to stop teeth grinding before it becomes a serious health concern.

Teeth grinding, also known as bruxism, is when the jaw muscles tighten and clench, pushing the teeth together in a way that wears down the enamel of the tooth. The more this happens, the flatter the tooth becomes, and the closer the nerve endings are to being exposed, making the teeth more sensitive.
Almost all cases of teeth grinding happen at night, when the person is asleep, so it can be a hard habit to detect. With children, this is especially hard as they don’t realize why their head might hurt, or why their jaw is sore in the morning, which are two main symptoms of teeth grinding.
The best way one will know if their child is grinding their teeth is by the sound. Much like nails on a chalkboard, the sound of teeth grinding can be excruciating. If you hear a kind of grinding sound coming from your child’s room, you can suspect that they’re grinding their teeth. Often children grind their teeth because the top and bottom teeth are misaligned. They also may grind in response to an earache or teething.
Before heading straight to the dentist, there are ways to help you child relax their jaws and prevent them from teeth grinding without seeking medical attention.

Drinking More Water

Often teeth grinding in children is caused by dehydration. If you have discovered your child grinds their teeth, make sure to have them drink plenty of liquids throughout the day, the most important liquid being water.

Reducing Stress

For both adults and children, stress is a big cause of teeth grinding. For adults, stress can be caused by work or relationship troubles, while for children, it can be more about being scared at night, or having nightmares. To help prevent this, make sure your child isn’t eating too much bad food at night. Junk food with high amounts of sugar and sodium can lead to bad dreams. As well, make them feel comfortable by reading them a book or telling them a story before going to bed. This will help them relax and feel safe throughout the night.
Stress may also be caused by an illness such as an earache. Talking to your child’s pediatrician about ways to reduce pain in the ear and ease your child is recommended.

Relaxing Muscles

When muscles aren’t relaxed, they tend to tighten and clench at night. So it’s important to make sure your child’s muscles are loose, especially the jaw. A good way to loosen all muscles is by doing simple stretches before bed. For the jaw, a rag soaked in warm water and placed along the jawline and against the cheeks will help it become relaxed.

Aligning the Teeth

If the teeth-grinding is due to misaligned teeth, it could be time to seek the help of an orthodontist. Of course, visiting your dentist first for their full opinion is recommended.

Visiting the Dentist

If these practices do not help your child relax their jaw and stop grinding their teeth, you should seek the help of a dental professional. They can provide a mouthguard or other methods to help prohibit your child from grinding their teeth, along with evaluating if any serious damage has occurred due to the grinding.
While teeth grinding can be a serious issue, it is often easily resolved. If you have any more questions or concerns, contact Water Tower Dental. We can help guide you on methods for helping your child stop grinding their teeth and ensure their smiles are bright and healthy.