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Things to Know About Teeth Whitening Sensitivity

While getting your teeth whitened, you might feel pain. This pain may be due to teeth whitening sensitivity. Here, you may wonder if the whitening treatment you get is worth the pain you feel during and after the treatment. Here, it would be worth mentioning that the pain and discomfort you feel after the teeth whitening treatment doesn’t last for too long. However, you surely need to visit the dentist if the pain persists.

Reason for teeth whitening sensitivity

One thing that you need to keep in mind here is that you don’t need to feel pain while getting your teeth whitened. This is the reason that you need to know about causes of teeth whitening sensitivity.

Majority of teeth whitening products contain hydrogen peroxide as an active ingredient. Now, there are many people whose teeth are sensitive to this ingredient; and so they feel pain and discomfort during the treatment and also when they eat something hot or cold after the treatment. Good thing is that this side effect of teeth whitening products is not very long term.

Avoiding teeth whitening sensitivity

Since it is the hydrogen peroxide which causes sensitivity which further leads to toothache, it is important to be aware of a couple of factors that can really cause the pain and discomfort. Even if your teeth are sensitive to hydrogen peroxide, taking care of these two factors can help you avoid pain due to teeth whitening sensitivity.

  • Even if you have had the treatment using the products with mildest ingredients, your teeth can feel pain. To avoid this pain and discomfort, you can ensure the exposure of your teeth to room temperature. It means that you will have to avoid consuming both hot and cold foods and beverages.
  • If your teeth feel pain due to sensitivity which occurs after teeth whitening, you can opt for the products with lower hydrogen peroxide levels. Moreover, you also need to shorter the application time. You can discuss with your dentist regarding how to achieve a whiter smile with the use of milder whitening products.

Talk to your dentist

Whether you are going for the professional whitening of your teeth or you plan it to do it at home, you need to make sure that you discuss every aspect of it with your dentist. The dentist will analyze your teeth and gums, and they will suggest you the best whitening option that you can consider to achieve the smile of your desires and that too without any discomfort.

Toothaches and Home Remedies

Let’s talk about toothaches. They’re extremely annoying when they occur, seemingly come out of nowhere to greet you by complete surprise, and they persist for ages, leaving you confused at how to handle them properly. Even if you do happen to have some Orajel handy, guess what? That dull ache will be back in an hour’s time again.

With toothaches, the best case of solving them is to get at the root of the problem, which means visiting your dentist to find the source of pain. While this invokes a sense of dread, anxiety over the bill, and a dedication to get into the office while you have to worry about work, it’s still important to take care of your body and to what’s needed to heal it.

The good thing, however, is that toothaches don’t always mean trips to the dentist are necessary. There are ways to help treat such pain at home if you’re in a pinch and want the pain to subside, and we’ve prepared those methods for your convenience.

Gargle salt water

Salt water never fails to help out mouth and dental problems. Some people think it’s nasty, some don’t. But everyone can agree that it’ll help knock out bacteria and some pain along with it. Try gargling salt water a few times a day, until you can see your dentist.

Drink peppermint tea

Compared to the option before this, peppermint tea tastes great! The warmth of tea can help take away some of the pain while also helping with headaches and bad breath, both of which can be side effects of a sore tooth.

Apply vanilla extract

Did you know that vanilla extract (and other extracts) has alcohol in it? That alcohol can act as a numbing component around your sore tooth. On top of this, the flavor and scent of vanilla, kind of like the tea above, can help reduce some of the stress that comes with pain. Just dab some on your finger and rub it around the affected area. (Also, the point about alcohol doesn’t mean you should apply Jack Daniel’s instead.)

Use raw garlic paste as a tooth poultice

A lot of people don’t like garlic because of its pungent smell, though I would contest that they’re flat out wrong and should give raw minced garlic a chance in the middle of a frying pan when cooking a stir fry (I’m getting pretty hungry already). Anyway, just crush up a clove of garlic, sprinkle some salt on it, and let it sit. After a few minutes, put the “paste” on your tooth and keep it there for a few minutes. It’ll help more than you know.