Why cold drinks make your teeth jump

Sensitivity is the most common thing people mention at the end of an appointment, usually as an afterthought. It is worth more than an afterthought, because the pattern tells us what is going on.

The twinge that stops immediately

Cold hits the tooth, you wince, and a second later it is gone. That is usually dentine exposed at the gum line, from receding gums or brushing too hard. It is common, it is not urgent, and a desensitizing toothpaste used properly fixes most of it.

Use the toothpaste properly

Brush with it, spit, and then rub a little more onto the sensitive spot with a fingertip before bed. Do not rinse. Give it two weeks. Used this way it works for most people; used as a normal toothpaste it often does not.

The pain that lingers

Cold or hot sets it off and it keeps throbbing for thirty seconds or more, or it wakes you at night. That is a nerve in trouble, not exposed dentine, and it needs looking at rather than a different toothpaste.

Sharp pain when you bite

A short, precise pain on releasing a bite often means a cracked tooth. It is worth catching early, because a cracked tooth that gets crowned stays; a cracked tooth that splits does not.

Stop scrubbing

Hard bristles and heavy pressure wear a notch at the gum line and pull the gum back with it. Soft brush, light hand, small circles. If your brush splays in six weeks, you are leaning on it.

Mention it at your cleaning even if it seems minor. Which stimulus, how long it lasts and exactly which tooth tells us most of what we need.