Your Newly Whitened Teeth Are Sensitive!... Now What?

So you paid good money to have your smile whitened and spiffed up, but now you're temperature sensitive when you eat or drink hot or cold items. That's the major downside to this otherwise beautifying procedure.

Some people may have so much sensitivity problems after whitening that they wished they didn't do it in the first place. Remember that whitening agents contain potentially irritating...bleach! These bleaching formulas actually go through the enamel and to the surface of the underlying dentin. There are small tubes in dentin that are normally blocked at the outer ends by minerals. Nerves endings from the dental pulp extend through the length of those tubules. Bleaching agents can remove the minerals which normally block and protect the nerve endings. Unprotected nerve endings are vulnerable to fluid movements in them, and these movements can set off pain receptors there. So the dentinal tubule ends need to be blocked or plugged again by adding minerals through the process of remineralization.

The sensitivity you may now be experiencing may only be temporary- one or two days or more, if it just started with the whitening treatments. If you are using an at-home bleaching kit and feel new sensitivity, use it less often, like every other day or so, to let the mouth heal and remineralize between applications. You may want to cut down on the time that the bleach is on your teeth, too. Overuse of whitening products (the “if some is good, more is better" type of thinking) is definitely not advised and may be the cause of the problems. If your sensitivity issues persist, you may want to take some mild pain medication until you can see your dentist. Oragel or UlraEZ desensitizing gels can give temporary relief from dental inflammatory pain but should not be overused. Fluoride varnish may be applied to the teeth to help.

There are things that you can do at home to alleviate the soreness of the teeth. A fluoride-containing rinse and toothpaste can be of great value. They can deliver a remineralizing punch to the teeth and lessen the irritation with twice-daily use. Regular use of store-bought sensitivity toothpaste that contains potassium nitrate or strontium chloride along with sodium fluoride should do the trick, too, but it may take some weeks for the relief to kick in. You may want to do things like drink cold or hot liquids through a straw to keep it off of the sensitive teeth.

Check with your dentist about the new Kor Whitening system, which is a leading-edge whitening product that maintains its superior bleaching potency by requiring constant refrigeration until use, and the product line employs superior desensitizing agents that don't interfere with whitening results.  

May you have many…smooth sailing, can’t touch this, sensitivity-free… smiles!