Expert: Stephen J. Moss - 12/4/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi there,
Thanks for helping out on this site :)
I'm wondering why my teeth are so super sensitive to everything. They pain very easily to where it hurts to eat anything slightly hard. The pain is sharp, usually my bottom teeth (sides of mouth) and the pain seems to be in the middle of the tooth down to the root with each bite.
If I eat something sugary or sour like sour patch kids it might take 2+ days for the pain to go away.
I use soft toothbrushes.
I brush once or twice daily and floss once a day with the occasional night where I crash and therefore dont brush/floss before bed. This happens about once a week, some weeks twice but only in the last few months.
I've used teeth whiteners in the past but not for several months.
My dad grinds his teeth, dont know if this is hereditary or not.
I dont use mouthwash
I drink 2 coffees a day.
I havent seen a dentist in a few years :/ Looking for one now, I wish I could find a recommendation for a good one in the easy bay area CA- there dont seem to be any websites for this. Do you know of any?
What is the issue here? Possible cures and prevention tips?
Thanks in advance!
Much appreciation,
Anna

ANSWER: Dear Anna,
Try the following for at least two weeks and let me know if it helps.
It may sound counter-intuitive but it has worked for a lot of people.
First, stop brushing twice a day.
Brush only once just before you go to bed.
Use a very soft tooth brush and brush very very gently.
Use a simple toothpaste Colgate or Crest that has fluoride in it.
Try to find the simplest tooth paste, just plain with fluoride, no whitening etc.
Chew sugar-free gum throughout the day, it will help keep your teeth clean.

This program is designed to help your saliva and oral flora remineralize and protect your teeth.

Let me know if you feel better in two weeks.
All the best,
DR. Moss

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello Dr. Moss,
Thanks again for your input.
I tried what you said and also used Sensodyne for a couple weeks now but it hasn't helped the problem.
I looked up dentists of my insurance (MetLife) who are local. I found Dr. Ricky Singh who went to UPenn (which is top10 dental school) and was also on 1-800-dentist. Is that enough to trust him? His site: http://www.dentistberkeley.com/ourpractice.html says he is a member of the CDA (California Dental association), ADA, DOCS, and the Berkeley Dental Society in addition to being a certified LUMINEERS and Invisalign Specialist. I don't have enough friends in Berkeley to get local recommendations and I wanted to save time so I figured he looked qualified enough, he was able to see me right away, so I went for it.

The reason I ask about whether I should trust him is because he took some xrays and identified the root of my sensitive teeth issue as needing 2 root canals + 2 caps, one filling, and a nightguard. Canals: $1000 each, Caps: $1000 each, filling: I think $300, nightguard: I think $400? Total: $4700...insurance only covers $1000 per year, so if I divide it between 2008 and 2009 I will still be paying close to $3000 out of pocket. This is insane money! How can I be 100% sure I need all this and Ricky is not just trying to upsell me on unnecessary procedures?

I didn't like the way he was treating a trainee in the office- he was moving her hand when she did something wrong while working on me and acting a bit anal retentive/easily bothered and condescending. He was nice to me but I sensed it was very phony and put on. He also referred to the women at the front desk as girls: "I don't know insurance details- the girls do all that stuff. They can break it down for you when you come next time." I Googled him and he's had very good reviews but I did find one really bad one: http://local.yahoo.com/details?id=36743648&csz=Berkeley%2C+CA+94707&sortreviews=

Is it worth getting a second opinion or is it too much trouble (e.g.: do they call Dr. Ricky's office and ask for all the papers to be transferred and go through the insurance process from scratch or can they just see me for a regular consultation appointment)? And if so, do you know of a very strong referral for a Berkeley CA & surrounding areas dentist, or how I can get one? I want to trust him because I work too much to be spending all this time jumping around from doc to doc but this A. this is just crazy money, I want to be positive it is required and B. If I am going to stay with a dentist for years to come, I want to make sure I made the right choice.

Thanks a million!!!!
Anna

Answer
Dear Anna,
sprry to hear that you are still not feeling any better.
My advice, follow your instincts.  They are almost always the best choice.
Tooth sensitivity is when you run your fingernail  across your tooth and it hurts, or when something acidic causes pain.  Sensitivity to hot and cold generally means you have a dead nerve and need root canal treatment.
Sensodyne toothpaste doesn't do much to remove tooth sensitivity, my choice for your experiment on getting better would have been crest or colgate with fluoride. Very gentle brushing once a day. And the chewing gum.
Sorry it didn't work and really sorry that I cant be of more assistance.
Dr. Moss