Smile with Confidence: A Comprehensive Guide to Dental Health and Care

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Common Dental Questions, dental care questions and answers, dental health tips, cosmetic and restorative dentistry, dental technology, ask a dentist about dentin

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Are Hot Drinks Bad for Teeth?

For most people, that wonderful warm trickle of coffee or tea down our throats gets us up and at ‘em and ready to take on the day.  But sometimes that first swallow of java, is not pure enjoyment, especially if you wince in pain when the warm liquid hits your teeth.  While your warm morning beverage may hit the spot for waking you up, it may be hitting the wrong spot if you have a sensitive teeth.

What Causes Tooth Sensitivity?

Perhaps you’ve been noticing lately that downing an ice-cold glass of milk leaves you reeling in pain … then it seems that wincing with your mouth open causes your teeth to hurt.  Tooth sensitivity just didn’t happen overnight it is a gradual process that begins when the movement of fluid located within tiny tubes in the dentin (the layer of tissue found beneath the hard enamel that contains the inner pulp of the tooth),  begins to cause nerve irritation.  When the hard enamel on your teeth gradually begins to wear down, especially as you get older, or your gums start to recede, these tiny tube surfaces are then exposed causing you to wince after eating, drinking hot or cold beverages, touching your teeth, or even just exposing them to cold air – suddenly a short, sharp pain and aching thereafter occurs.