What You Didn’t Know.

Are you ‘shocked’ that your teeth get shocked when you eat or drink something?

Let’s talk about it.

Tooth sensitivity has quite a number of causes. Some of the more common offenders are:

  • dental caries (tooth decay),
  • cracked or fractured teeth due to trauma,
  • teeth grinding or clenching of tooth,
  • worn-out fillings, and
  • exposure of the root of the tooth as a result of gum disease or vigorous brushing.

A tooth is made up of 3 layers:  

  • Enamel
  • Dentine
  • Pulp (nerve endings and blood vessels)

Enamel is the white layer that covers the crown of the tooth. The crown of the tooth is that part of the tooth visible in the mouth- usually above the gum line. In healthy teeth, the enamel functions to protect the more sensitive parts of the tooth – the dentine and pulp.

Below the gum line, the enamel continues as “cementum”- a thin self-protective layer that protects the dentine and pulp in the root of the tooth.

Did you know that ENAMEL is the hardest substance in the human body? It contains 96% of solid minerals/ crystals and no living tissue.

Under the enamel and the cementum is a more penetrable layer of tooth which is called “the dentin”.  The dentin subcaste contains tiny tubules or channels that connect with the tooth pulp. Unlike enamel, dentine contains more organic components and responds to cold/heat, sweet/sour or even pressure.

The pulp is located in the center of the tooth and it contains nerves and blood vessels which supply the tooth nutrients. The nerve endings basically transmit information to the brain- these information help to protect us and they range from letting the brain know when something hot or cold is in the mouth, when something acidic is being swallowed or when there is too much pressure on the teeth (this protects you from cracking your teeth). The brain in turn interprets these information as sensations or pain.

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