Dentinal sensitivity

Dentinal sensitivity

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Student’s name

Abstract

Dental hygiene is a rising primary concern in the United States, with various cases associated with teeth. Dental sensitivity is one of the favorably reported cases in the United States and is defined as the symbol of an acid erosion occurring among patients with meticulous hygiene. The dental sensitivity problem is attributed to various causes, such as eating too many acidic foods as well as acidic beverage intakes. Some everyday actions such as too much brushing wear down the enamel hence the spark of the problem. The case is also believed to be brought about by various health concerns such as gastroesophageal reflux and different other conditions that cause vomiting. The dental health problem is treated with the different treatment options readily available in the market, such as Gluma, Silver Diamine Fluoride, stannous fluoride, sodium fluoride as well as strontium chloride. The treatment options are available in various formulations such as toothpaste (Sensodyne), solution, gel, and varnish. Sensodyne is a new product in the market with a combination of potassium nitrate and sodium fluoride.

Dentinal sensitivity

Dental related hygiene is still a health concern among the population in the current 21^st century. The rate of ignorance of dental hygiene is alarming in addition to the kind of diets that the general population is consuming, among other factors that have led to the sparking rate of dental health problems. Among the alarming dental health problem is Dentinal sensitivity, which is defined as the sign of acid erosion that usually occurs in patients with meticulous hygiene. There are various treatment materials available and used in dentistry with multiple advantages, as outlined below.

Dentinal sensitivity, also known as tooth sensitivity, is attributed to various causes and can affect one tooth, several teeth, or even all teeth in an individual. It is usually manifested in pain or discomfort in the teeth in response to various hot and cold stimuli. Several individuals can naturally have more sensitive teeth than others with inner enamel (Chemin et al., 2018). The enamel, which is the outer layer of a tooth, functions in protecting and can be worn down by various factors, increasing dentin sensitivity. They are brushing one’s teeth too hard tooth as well as using a hard toothbrush, increasing the wearing out of the enamel. Some individuals also grind teeth at night, which wears down their enamel (Marinescu et al., 2017). Increased dental sensitivity is linked to the intake of acidic beverages and food. Various other health conditions like Gastroesophageal reflux are also linked with increased dental sensitivity. Gastroesophageal reflux often leads to acid coming up from the stomach through the esophageal, which wears down the enamel. The various health conditions attributed to causing vomiting, such as gastroparesis and bulimia, are believed to cause the acid that wears down the enamel (Chemin et al., 2018). Gum recessions often leave sections of teeth exposed and unprotected hence causing the problem. Dental sensitivity is also caused by tooth decay, broken teeth, chipped teeth as well as worn-down fillings in addition to crowns, which leave the tooth dentin exposed. This usually causes sensitivity in one region or even tooth rather than the majority of teeth. Temporary sensitivity in one tooth or several teeth around one part is attributed to dental works such as fillings, crowns, and teeth bleaching.

In the market, various materials are used and recommended by dentists to treat multiple dental diseases with the inclusion of dental sensitivity. Sodium fluoride is used in the manufacturing of several types of toothpaste in the market. It has shown to cause a modest effect on sensitive teeth, especially when combined with dentin fluid-obstructing agents like metal ions, potassium ions, and oxalates (Chemin et al., 2018). Fluoride is available in the form of a solution, gel, and varnish. Fluoride protects the enamel as well as the teeth through prevention enamel break down brought about by acids in foods one takes and bacteria that cause dental sensitivity. Fluoride helps reading teeth minerals such as calcium and phosphorous lost during the enamel breakdown through the process called remineralization (Marinescu et al., 2017). Fluoride aids in the prevention of the development of cavities attributed to causing dental sensitivity. Fluoride is a cheap method of preventing dental sensitivity as it is applied through various mechanisms such as toothpaste and mouthwash, which are readily available at relatively low cost. Gluma is made up of Glutaraldehyde, which is the desensitizing compound. The desensitizing compound reacts and coagulates the serum albumin found in the dental fluid (Noormohammadi, Hosseini, and Farsadeghi, 2018). Gluma in dental sensitivity has yielded positive results as it effectively reduces root sensitivity following scaling and root planning through dentinal tubule occlusion.

Stannous fluoride is a compound used in the treatment of dental sensitivity. It is usually available in over-the-counter toothpaste and mouthwash. It is often recommended as a protective treatment, especially during the treatment of dental checkups. Several advantages have been attached to the use of stannous fluoride, including protection against cavities, strengthening tooth enamel, reducing tooth sensitivity, and prevision of corrective action from acid damage (Marinescu et al., 2017). Strontium chloride has, over the past, been a primary component in the toothpaste recommended by the dentist to help in the treatment of dental sensitivity. Strontium chloride toothpaste formulations have been proven to relieve pain and sensitivity by blocking fluid flow in dental tubules and the dentin’s microscopic canals. The advantage of strontium chloride is the lasting pain relief effect (Chemin et al., 2018). The use of the product is slowly diminishing in the market. Silver Diamine Fluoride is also used to treat dental sensitivity (Noormohammadi, Hosseini, and Farsadeghi, 2018). The product has been highly used by Middle East countries like Japan and China as caries – arresting as well as an anti-hypersensitivity agent. The united states have also approved its use through the Food and Drug Administration department. Its application is a noninvasive procedure making it quick and easy to use. Preliminary results have shown its use to be more useful more than other fluorides. Its use has several advantages, like arresting the carious lesions in both adults and high caries-risk children and having difficulty controlling (Marinescu et al., 2017). Silver Diamine fluoride also has the advantage of managing lesions that are too extensive to restore but not associated with infections or pain. Silver component acts as antimicrobial protecting the teeth from cariogenic bacteria, while the fluoride works by preventing further demineralization of the tooth. The use of the Silver Diamine fluoride therapy in children makes it a suitable method for treating dental sensitivity as it does not require local anesthesia or dental drills (Chemin et al., 2018). The Silver Diamine fluoride is readily available at a low cost hence making its use very economical.

According to Noormohammadi, Hosseini, and Farsadeghi (2018), Sensodyne is a new product in the toothpaste industry, slowly overtaking the previously Colgate dominated industry. The product comes with a unique combination of products such as Potassium nitrate and sodium fluoride, as well as fluoride ion as the active ingredients. As contained in the Sensodyne, potassium nitrate works by soothing the nerves inside the teeth, preventing the teeth from sending pain signals from various triggers such as the burst of cold air or hot coffee (Chemin et al., 2018). The toothpaste has also got multiple ingredients that don’t constitute the active ingredients, such as sodium monofluorophosphate (extra whitening) and sodium fluoride combined with baking soda, cool gel, fresh mint, and tartar control. Sensodyne’s original flavor and Sensodyne extra whitening are recommended since they contain fluoride, which prevents cavity penetration, and potassium nitrate, which reduces pain sensitivity (Noormohammadi, Hosseini, and Farsadeghi, 2018). They are recommended for relief of dentinal hypersensitivity inflicted from exposure of tooth detrain due to periodontal surgery, cervical erosion, abrasion, and recession, which inflict pain upon contact with hot, cold, or even tactile stimuli.

Ultimately, the chief complaint of the patients represents the demand for dental health care. It is recorded to know the perception of the patient to the problem. Data from the epidemiological studies are used to examine the extent and severity of dental diseases within the population from where the estimates of the need are made. The normative need address the extent to which care is needed. Therefore, the sensitive teeth with no-carries become the treatment priority since failure to do so; the patient will still seek the treatment elsewhere. Thus, the dental sensitivity in the case discussed above will be treated using various treatment options such as Silver Diamine Fluoride, Sodium fluoride, stannous fluoride, and Strontium Chloride, and GLUMA.

References

Chemin, K., Rezende, M., Loguercio, A. D., Reis, A., & Kossatz, S. (2018). Effectiveness of and dental sensitivity to at-home bleaching with 4% and 10% hydrogen peroxide: a randomized, triple-blind clinical trial. Operative dentistry, Vol. 43, no. 3, pp. 232-240.

Marinescu, I. R., Popescu, S. M., Răghici, E. C., Scrieciu, M., Mercuț, V., Turcu, A. A., & Nicola, A. G. (2017). Etiological aspects of noncarious dental lesions. Current Health Sciences Journal, Vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 54.

Noormohammadi, R., Hosseini, S. R., & Farsadeghi, M. (2018). The Compliance of Selected Toothpastes Beam, Sensodyne, Crest, Unique, Colgate to the Global Standard of Fluoride Content. Journal of Dental School, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 61-64.