<p>I’d go to the dentist myself, but my parents’ insurance covers me only for appointments in Iowa. One of my front lower teeth has become extremely sensitive. I can’t really pinpoint if it’s just one tooth or several. It happened overnight, and I noticed it as I was biting into my lunch yesterday. It’s not sensitive to chewing, but it’s really sensitive to temperature. Like if I breath in through my teeth, take a drink of cool water or bite into hot food, it would act up.</p>
<p>I brush my teeth once a day for 5-7 minutes. I also wear a retainer; didn’t wear it this weekend because I had a weird schedule. And considering this is my front teeth, I doubt it’s a cavity. And nobody has punched me recently, so it’s not a cracked tooth. My guess is receding gum, exposing the roots. Would this be the most likely situation? How can I address this?</p>
<p>No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express!! Anyone seen those commercials?</p>
<p>But seriously, I’m not a dentist but I’m fairly knowledgeable about teeth. First of all, don’t get too upset about it since this just started yesterday. I’d give it some time to see if it goes away on its own. If you’re still having the pain in a few weeks or it’s getting much worse, then you should definitely see a dentist. You can’t diagnose this problem by yourself or on the internet.</p>
<p>I’m not a dentist, but I used to have a sensitive tooth. Have you tried using Sensodyne - the toothpaste for sensitive teeth? Try to change your brushing routine, brush 2 times a day for 2 minutes instead of one really long brushing session (you might be brushing away the gum and enamel). And do see a dentist as soon as you can.</p>
<p>The last time I went to the dentist, they told me to floss and not brush so hard. Their words have finally sunk in. I was wondering if there’s something I could eat to make my gums grow back. I mean they grow back… right?</p>
<p>You need to be seen by a dentist, pronto. Temperature sensitivity of sudden onset (especially hot) can be a sign of an underlying abscess or other major problem.
Call the customer service line for your parent’s insurance carrier. It may be a DMO or a PPO but they might be able to find out if you have coverage where you are now. What are you supposed to do if you are traveling and run into a dental emergency??</p>
<p>And not for nothin’ but you should really brush your teeth at least twice a day. Brushing for 5-7 minutes is too long and may be causing your gums to recede. That alone can make your teeth temperature sensitive.</p>
<p>While I agree you should consult someone, do you have any inflamed facial nerves? You can press around your face and see if you can find a nerve that hurts. This can express as sensitivity and tooth pain.</p>
<p>I agree with EPTR that brushing your teeth for 5-7 minutes may be doing more harm than good. This sensitivity may or may not be caused by your brushing technique. I still say wait and see if it goes away on it’s own in a couple of weeks. If it gets worse, then go to the dentist. I religiously go to my dentist twice a year for checkups, but if I went to him every time I had some tooth sensitivity, I’d be there a whole lot more. In my experience, tooth pain or sensitivity usually goes away on its own fairly quickly if it’s not a problem. If it lingers or gets worse, I don’t ignore it.</p>
<p>The sudden onset of symptoms may mean that the tooth has abruptly changed in some way - like a cracked root or something similar. Sensitivity to cold may mean the tooth is decayed or other similar problem. Sensitivity to something warm may mean the tooth is dying and in need of a root canal.</p>
<p>In any case you need to see a dentist. The longer you wait the greater your chance that a bad situation will get worse and possibly cost you the tooth. If your parents think an exam and root canal is expensive, wait until they see how much an extraction followed by restorative implant and crown costs.</p>
<p>That’s exactly why you shouldn’t be listening to people on a forum or trying to self-diagnose yourself on the Internet. Now you’re getting all kinds of advice that is scaring you. If you’re going to obsess about this tooth, just go to the dentist as soon as you can to find out what’s going on.</p>
<p>Advice from a dentist and a mom: tell your parents your problem, then go to your student health center. They should have local dentists they can refer you to for an evaluation and who can diagnose you correctly. I am an on-call dentist for our local LAC and usually see a couple students every year. I often make a call to the parent (with student’s permission) to update them and decide what needs to be done now and what can wait until the student gets back to the family dentist. I expect the same can happen with you.</p>
<p>Have your parents turn in a copy of your bill to their insurance. Emergencies happen, not always in your home state.</p>