What Helps Sensitive Teeth: 15 Remedies That Soothe Your Dinner

If you have ever bit into something hot or cold and felt the pain shoot through your entire jaw, then you fully understand sensitive teeth. If you have sensitive teeth, there is no doubt that you are already searching for what helps sensitive teeth. We have 15 remedies that you can try at home for soothing the pain of sensitive teeth.

Please keep in mind that a dental care professional can provide the best treatment for ongoing problems with sensitive teeth and our remedies should not be considered all inclusive cures.

What Helps Sensitive Teeth: 15 Answers from Your Home

1. Maintain Good Oral Hygiene

At the top of anyone’s list of what helps sensitive teeth, the first remedy has to be maintaining good oral hygiene. Good oral hygiene helps prevent inflamed and sore gum tissue, cracked teeth and plaque buildup. All of these are major factors in the development of the issue of sensitive teeth.

What to do:

Use a soft-bristled toothbrush to brush a minimum of two times a day.
Avoid the use of tartar-control toothpaste.
Regularly use mouth rinse to reduce high acid content in your mouth.
Use dental floss at least twice daily.

2. Avoid Highly Acidic Foods and Drinks

Highly acidic foods and drinks have a tendency to dissolve tooth enamel and expose dentin. It is the exposure of dentin which is a leading cause in tooth sensitivity. Avoiding these foods and drinks is what helps sensitive teeth.

What to do:

Limit or eliminate carbonated drinks, citrus fruits, and wine from your diet.
Drink plenty of water or rinse your mouth with an alkaline based rinse to balance the pH in your mouth after eating acidic foods.
Wait at least 30 minutes after eating acidic foods before brushing your teeth.

3. Oregano Oil

Oregano does far more than flavor your favorite Italian dishes, it is also among the best remedies for what helps sensitive teeth. Also, oregano oil is effective because it is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and also has antioxidant properties to help protect your teeth from attack.

What to do:

On your clean finger tip, put a drop or two of oregano oil and gently rub it over the affected tooth and gum area.
Allow the oil to stay in your mouth for 10 to 15 minutes before rinsing with warm water.
Repeat this remedy twice a day.
You can also make a mouthwash by adding 4 to 5 drops of oregano oil to ¼ cup of warm water. Use this mouthwash after brushing.

4. Hydrogen Peroxide

Though it is often associated with tooth whitening, hydrogen peroxide is also on our list of what helps sensitive teeth. It contains not only antibacterial properties to kill germs in your mouth, but it is also has very low acidic to neutral properties to help reduce acidity in your mouth.

What to do:

Mix equal parts water and 3% hydrogen peroxide.
This solution can be used as a mouthwash.
Be sure to spit out all of the solution and rinse your mouth well after using.
Only use this 2 to 3 times per week.

5. Guava Leaves

What helps sensitive teeth according to ayurvedic practitioners? Guava leaves, which contain quercetin, keampferol and rutin are quite effective at relieving tooth sensitivity. These flavonoids have anti-inflammatory, free-radical scavenging properties and act as analgesics as well.

What to do:

Place a couple of fresh guava leaves in your mouth and chew them for a few minutes before spitting them out.
You can also add 4 to 5 guava leaves to a cup of boiling water, reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes.
Strain the tea from the leaves and use it as a mouthwash.
Repeat these remedies 2 or 3 times daily.

6. Garlic

The king of herbs when it comes to antibacterial effectiveness, garlic is another potent herb we have added to our list of what helps sensitive teeth. Its active compound, allicin, is not only antibacterial, but is also a natural anesthetic which can help relieve tooth pain.

What to do:

Crush 1 garlic clove completely, adding 2 to 3 drops of water and a pinch of table salt to help grind it into a paste.
Apply the past to the affected tooth or teeth and allow it to remain for several minutes before rinsing with warm salt water.
Repeat this remedy a couple times per day.
Another option is to cut a garlic clove in half, and then rub the cut side of the clove against the affected tooth for several minutes before rinsing with warm water.
You can repeat this 2 or 3 times a day as well.

7. Clove

You probably already know the taste of clove oil from previous dental visits. Cloves are excellent when comes to what helps sensitive teeth, in fact, clove oil is often used as a numbing agent before you are given an oral injection. Cloves not only have anesthetic properties, but they are also anti-inflammatory and antibacterial as well.

What to do:

2 whole cloves can be ground and then added to a few drops of olive oil in order to create a paste.
Apply the paste to the affected tooth and allow it to sit at least 30 minutes.
Alternately, you can soak a cotton ball with clove oil and apply it to the sensitive tooth or teeth and gums.
Hold it in place for several minutes until the pain is numbed.
Use either of these remedies twice a day.

8. Onions

Related to garlic, onions are also top performers on our list of what helps sensitive teeth. A major flavonoid in onion is quercetin, which is anti-inflammatory in nature. Additionally, onions have antibacterial properties to help rid your mouth of tooth and gum damaging bacteria.

What to do:

Take an onion and slice off a small sized piece which will fit comfortably in your mouth between your lip and gum.
Place the piece of onion next to the affected tooth and hold it there for 5 to 10 minutes.
Rinse your mouth with salt water in order to get rid of the onion breath.
Repeat this remedy 2 or 3 times per day.

9. Salt Water

Rinsing your mouth with salt water is another simple solution for what helps sensitive teeth. Because salt is on the alkaline side of the pH scale, it helps to balance acidity in your mouth. An alkaline environment is lethal for bacteria and they cannot survive.

What to do:

Add ½ tsp of salt to 1 cup of warm water.
Use this solution to rinse your mouth.
Spit out the salty rinse after a few minutes of swishing it around in your mouth, and then rinse with plain water.
Repeat this two times a day or after every time you eat acidic foods.

10. Oil Pulling

Oil pulling is one of the most effective remedies on our list of what helps sensitive teeth. The medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil help to rid your mouth of bacteria which are especially involved in causing tooth sensitivity. It also helps to reduce the presence of plaque buildup on your teeth, helps to heal gum disease and gets rid of bad breath.

What to do:

Before eating or drinking anything in the morning, place 1 Tbsp of extra-virgin coconut oil into your mouth.
Swish the oil around your mouth, consciously pulling it between your teeth for 20 minutes (you might have to start with 10 to 15 minutes and work your way up).
Make sure that you do not swallow any of the oil while you work it around your mouth
Spit out the oil and rinse with warm water.
Do this first thing in the morning on a daily basis.

11. Baking Soda

Sensitive teeth, as we mentioned earlier, are a result of damaged tooth enamel which exposes dentin. Because it is on the alkaline side of the pH scale, baking soda helps to prevent tooth enamel damage by reducing acidity in your mouth. It is not only a major remedy when it comes to what helps sensitive teeth, but it can also help whiten teeth as well.

What to do:

Dissolve ¼ tsp of baking soda in ¼ cup of water.
Use this solution as a mouth rinse.
After several minutes of swishing it around your mouth, spit out the solution and rinse with regular water.
You can make a thick paste by adding a few drops of water to 1/2 tsp of baking soda and use it as toothpaste for your toothbrush.
Use either of these remedies a couple times per day.

12. Chewing Gum

Believe it or not, chewing gum is also on our list of what helps sensitive teeth. What chewing gum does is help produce more saliva, which in turn helps to harden softened area of your teeth. Chewing gum also draws acids away from your teeth as long as you are not chewing sugary gum.

What to do:

Choose chewing gum that contains Xylitol, which is sweet, but is not sugar.
If you cannot find chewing gum with Xylitol, be sure to use sugar-free gum to help reduce acid in your mouth.

13. Mouth Guard

Mouth guards are typically associated with rough sports, but they are another affective item on our list of what helps sensitive teeth. Sensitive teeth are often the result of grinding your teeth. Most tooth grinding occurs at night or unconsciously during the daytime. Using a mouth guard prevents tooth grinding and the damage that it does to tooth enamel.

What to do:

If you grind your teeth unconsciously while you are awake or someone has told you that you grind them at night, then you should be fitted with a mouth guard.
You can be fitted with any of three different types of mouth guards.

14. Mint Leaves

An effective herbal remedy included in what helps sensitive teeth is mint leaves. Not only do mint leaves freshen breath, but they kill bacteria and have an analgesic effect for sensitive teeth.

What to do:

Chew on two or three fresh mint leaves for a few minutes before spitting them out.
You can also place 4 to 5 fresh mint leaves in 1 ½ cup of boiling water.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Strain out the tea, allow it to cool and use this as a mouth rinse.
Repeat either remedy 2 to 3 times per day.

15. Real Vanilla Extract

Real vanilla extract, not vanilla flavoring, is another item, which might be found in your kitchen, that is effective when it comes to what helps sensitive teeth. The vanilla bean has compounds in it that work as an analgesic and can be used to reduce the symptoms of tooth sensitivity.

What to do:

Soak a cotton ball in vanilla extract and apply it to the affected tooth and gum area.
Hold it in place for several minutes until the discomfort disappears.
Use this remedy as often as you need pain relief.

Wrapping Up

Sensitive teeth can disrupt your daily life in a number of different ways, especially when it comes to being able to enjoy some of your favorite hot and cold foods. If you know the feeling of pain from eating or drinking something hot or cold shooting through your jaw, then you are already searching for what helps sensitive teeth. Using one or more of our remedies, you can gain relief from the pain and get back to normal again.

If you have questions, comments or maybe a few additions to make to our list, please leave them in the section below.

Images: depositphotos.com.