Soothing Sensitive Teeth
Reported June 2007
COLLEGE PARK, M.D. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- For millions of people, the sharp pain and discomfort of sensitive teeth can make your favorite hot or cold foods impossible to enjoy.
Lyndsay Bare, a 3rd year dental student at the University of Maryland, can relate to anyone with sensitive teeth. "I would bleach my teeth late at night, and then I'd wake up in the morning and there would be just this searing pain," Bare says. The pain can be worse by hot and cold foods or just smiling on a cold, windy day. Over the counter toothpastes don't always work well.
Now, a new ingredient in toothpaste, developed by dentists, called Novamin, can dramatically reduce teeth sensitivity. Gary Hack, DDS, a dentist from the University of Maryland says, "It's totally natural, it's non-toxic, and it's providing the same minerals that your saliva has in the oral environment, just at a higher concentration."
Teeth become sensitive when gum tissue recedes, exposing a tooth's roots. Roots contain small holes or tubules that lead to nerves. Novamin plugs up the holes cutting off contact with nerves and eliminating pain. "It can also help in preventing decay. We found that it can whiten teeth and can help with periodontal or gum disease as well," Dr. Hack says. Dentists also say that drinking too much fruit juice can cause teeth sensitivity.
Novamin is found in toothpaste available from your dentist. Bare can now recommend it to her future patients. "After I used it, cold air wasn't that big of a deal, neither was drinking cold liquids," she says.
The Materials Research Society contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.
Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:
NovaMin Technology Inc
Alachua, FL 32615
386-418-1551
kbecker@novamin.com
For more information on new materials like bioactive ceramics:
Materials Research Society
Warrendale, PA 15086-7573
724-779-3003
webmaster@mrs.org
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