Toothpaste for Sensitive Teeth

I suffer from sensitive teeth. My family find it odd as I used to be the one most obsessed about oral hygiene when I was young since I wore braces and always had to ensure my teeth are clean. My sensitive teeth are a result of grinding my teeth at night when I sleep and according to my dentist, over time, it had worn down my enamel to expose the sensitive dentin layer. When asked what I could do to prevent it, his answer was very simple - Take a holiday! Apparently teeth grinding is caused to stress!

Since I have limited leave, I have to resort to using toothpaste for sensitive teeth instead! I started using Sensodyne toothpaste upon his recommendation and he very generously gave me quite a number of free samples to try. The first time I tried using it, I found it a little odd as it does not have the typical minty taste normal toothpastes have. Instead, its taste is a little flat and I found that it doesn’t seem to lather as much as ordinary ones do. However, it does a great job and I found that my teeth actually became less sensitive after the first few times of using it which was a great relief especially when I eat sour or cold stuff! In fact, their site claims that tooth sensitivity can be relieved in as little as two weeks!

The last time I was at my dentist, I noticed that he had a new toothpaste for sensitive teeth manufactured by Colgate. It’s called Colgate Sensitive and like Sensodyne, it promised to reduce sensitivity in less than 3 weeks. It was also slightly cheaper than Sensodyne so I decided to pick up some to try. It comes in a pretty pink tube with blue gel. I found the taste more minty than Sensodyne and it didn’t seem very different from the normal Colgate toothpaste. However, I found it less effective as I’m already halfway through my tube and the sensitivity in my teeth doesn’t seem to have reduced that much.

So what’s the difference between Sensodyne and Colgate Sensitive?

Differences:

• Sensodyne toothpaste contains Potassium Nitrate while Colgate Sensitive contains Potassium Citrate. However, both have been proven to relieve sensitive teeth.
• Cost-wise, Sensodyne is more expensive than Colgate Sensitive although the margins between them aren’t that big.
• Personally, I found Sensodyne more effective than Colgate Sensitive in helping me with my sensitive teeth problem.

Apparently, sensitive teeth is sometimes caused by over-brushing or a wrong way of brushing. So do brush your teeth carefully! However, if you already suffer from sensitive teeth, do replace your ordinary toothpaste with Sensodyne or Colgate Sensitive. The potassium compound in both have been proven to sooth exposed nerve ends and over time, build a protective layer for your teeth so this pain will be lessened. Also, do try to limit your intake of sour and cold stuff as these may aggravate the sensitivity of your teeth.