When your gums are sensitive, you may experience discomfort while eating, drinking, or brushing. Feeling discomfort can mean something is wrong with your oral health, which needs attention. Even if it comes and goes, it can represent a problem. So, it is worth finding out what the issue is. If the sensitivity persists, do not ignore it. Figuring out what causes gum discomfort can be quite helpful in ensuring your gums are protected from further harm.
Various issues can contribute to the sensitivity of external factors to underlying conditions. By understanding these causes, you can take informed steps to address the sensitivity and maintain healthy gums. Below are some of the issues that could account for your sensitive gums:
Gum Disease
Gum diseases like gingivitis and periodontitis most commonly cause gum sensitivity. Hot, cold, sweet, or sour stimuli trigger sensitivity. If you experience sensitivity, it could point to an underlying health issue, like gingivitis or periodontitis. They cause the tissues of the gum to weaken.
Gingivitis occurs when plaque builds up along your gum line due to not brushing. This build-up of bacteria causes the area to be inflamed. So, there is redness, swelling, and tenderness. Gingivitis can be asymptomatic, but it is accompanied by tenderness and swelling of the gum tissue. The disease breaks down the barrier your gums create, exposing tooth roots and making them vulnerable to irritation. If you do not treat it, gingivitis can progress to periodontitis, a more serious condition that causes gum recession and loss of bone. When your gums start to recede, they expose sensitive dentin. This can make eating or drinking painful.
You should develop a consistent dental care routine to reduce your chances of getting gum disease. Brush your teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, using a soft-bristled brush to avoid damaging your gums. Make sure to floss once every day to remove plaque between your teeth and along the gumline. Moreover, avoid acidic foods and sugary snacks, as they lead to plaque. While doing all these, do not forget to visit the dentist regularly, as it would help detect gum disease early on.
Certain Medical Conditions
A medical condition like diabetes, autoimmune disease, or GERD can affect the health of your gums and make them sensitive. These conditions change how your body handles inflammation, infection, and healing, making your gums more sensitive.
If your diabetes is not under control, your immune system will not work well to fight oral bacteria, increasing the risk of gingivitis and periodontitis. When your gums recede, they could expose your tooth roots and dentin, which are sensitive to temperature. This makes your teeth sensitive to hot, cold, and sweet foods. Besides, diabetes hampers healing and blood circulation to your gums, worsening sensitivity. To avoid that hassle, you must manage your diabetes with the help of proper medication and a diet plan, plus proper oral care.
Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and Sjögren’s syndrome also cause gum sensitivity. Lupus can cause sores and swelling in the mouth, making it more sensitive. Dry mouth and plaque buildup occur from the accumulation of bacteria in the mouth as there is less saliva due to Sjögren’s syndrome. Some medications, like corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, can weaken or cause overgrowth in your gums and worsen it.
GERD is another problem that wears down enamel and irritates gum tissue, exposing dentin and increasing sensitivity. Injury from chronic reflux acid hurts gums and worsens pain. Leukemia can weaken the immune system, which might lead to a higher risk of gum swelling and bleeding.
Hormonal changes, like those experienced during pregnancy or menopause, could also cause gum sensitivity. With the right treatment, however, the pain in the gums can be reduced, and there will be no further damage.
Vitamin C Deficiency
Vitamin C is vital for proper gum health. If you do not get enough, the sensitivity will increase considerably. A serious shortage of vitamin C causes scurvy, which hurts gums. Vitamin C is essential in collagen production, strengthening the gum tissue. Insufficient vitamin C causes weakness in your gums, leading to a spongy and inflamed condition. This situation can cause bleeding, tenderness, and sensitivity to temperature or acidic foods. This damages gum tissue, making protecting the nerves and roots more difficult.
Even a mild vitamin C deficiency, which does not reach the level of scurvy, can weaken gums, making them more prone to irritation and early gingivitis. This is common in people whose diets are low in fresh food, particularly citrus fruits, strawberries, or bell peppers, which are rich in vitamin C. Smoking might make vitamin C less effective in the body, which can worsen the health of your gums.
Before the deficiency worsens, just make sure you have enough vitamin C in your diet to strengthen the gums and help tissues repair themselves. Adequate vitamin C will reduce the inflammation so that it does not worsen and cause an increase in sensitivity. When incorporated into your lifestyle, along with good dental hygiene like brushing and flossing, it helps keep your gums healthy.
If you have gum sensitivity issues, consider taking more vitamin C. However, you should ask a doctor (or dentist) to rule out gum disease or systemic problems. It is important to make sure that vitamin C deficiency is the cause.
Incorrect Brushing Habits
Brushing too hard with incorrect techniques and using harsh dental products can damage your gums and enamel over time. These habits often lead to gum recession, exposing the sensitive dentin beneath the enamel, making your teeth reactive to temperature changes and certain foods.
When you brush too hard, your gums wear down, causing them to recede. This exposes the soft tooth roots, which do not have enamel, making them sensitive to heat, cold, and sweetness. Scrubbing your teeth back and forth with too much strength, as if using a saw, will damage your gums.
Hard-bristle brushes can hasten this damage because they are so abrasive on your gum tissue. Using non-soft toothbrushes can stain your teeth, make them sensitive, and damage them. According to dentists, a soft-bristle brush effectively prevents damage to your gums. Using both stiff bristles with aggressive scrubbing creates a cycle of irritation and sensitivity.
Using abrasive toothpaste or mouthwash that contains a high amount of alcohol could harm your gums. Toothpaste that is too abrasive will scratch tooth enamel, and mouthwash that contains a high percentage of alcohol will dry and inflame your gums. Harsh whitening products could irritate sensitive tissue even more.
It is best to switch to a soft-bristle brush, use gentle pressure at an angle of 45 degrees, and stick to mild products. Try sensitive toothpaste or consult your dentist to rule out gum disease if sensitivity persists.
Oral Infections
Gum infections can lead to sensitivity by causing tissue inflammation, destroying the defense barrier, and exposing sensitive areas. The infection can be bacterial, viral, or fungal and will cause pain and damage if untreated.
Gum sensitivity is mainly caused by bacterial infections like that of gum disease. When plaque accumulates along your gums, bacteria release toxins. These toxins irritate the gums and cause inflammation. With gingivitis, the inflammation makes your gums red, swollen, and tender. This makes your gums sensitive to brushing, temperature changes, and certain foods. If you do not treat gingivitis, it can progress to periodontitis and cause your gums to recede and the disease to erode the supporting bone away. It exposes the roots of the teeth, which do not have enamel to protect them and are very sensitive to hot, cold, or acidic foods. Abscesses, or pockets of pus, arise from serious bacterial infections. They can make the area more sensitive and are best treated by your dentist quickly.
Cold sores and herpangina are some viral infections that could affect your gums. You probably have a gum infection if your gums continually feel raw and sting whenever you eat, drink, and brush. Infection spreads and makes the surrounding gum tissue more reactive and sensitive.
Fungal infections are also an issue. Infections like oral thrush, caused by Candida, create gum sensitivity. Thrush is characterized by white patches in your mouth. When those patches are scraped or irritated, inflamed, tender gum tissue is revealed. People with weakened immune systems, those who take antibiotics, and people with diabetes often develop this condition. If your saliva flow is slow because of some medicines or conditions, a fungal infection could occur that irritates the gums.
Response to Stress
Stress is not exactly related to your oral health, but you can contribute to gum and tooth sensitivity through its physical and behavioral responses. Stress may not damage the teeth, but it can cause habits that lead to increased sensitivity.
The effects of stress could include grinding or clenching teeth (bruxism), especially at night. Your teeth suffer pressure that wears the enamel, the outer layer, and exposes the dentin at the core. When the dentin’s microscopic tubules connect, the nerves in your teeth become sensitive to hot, cold, or sweet. When you clench, it also puts pressure on your gums. This can make the gums inflamed or recede, exposing sensitive root surfaces.
Stress can disrupt your oral hygiene routine. You could forget to brush and floss when stressed out, leading to plaque buildup. Plaque irritates your gums and can lead to gingivitis. When gums are inflamed, they can no longer protect the teeth, which means the teeth begin to experience sensitivity, too. Stress can reduce saliva production, which can lead to a dry mouth. When your mouth is dry, it cannot neutralize acids and wash away bacteria, which causes plaque and irritates gums.
When you are under chronic stress, cortisol levels increase, weakening the immune system and its ability to fight inflammation and infection in the mouth. This makes your gums more likely to swell, hurt, and become sensitive. Stress could lead you to chew pens or bite nails and eat more sugar, which damages enamel.
To relieve sensitivity from stress, try stress management like meditation or exercise. If you grind your teeth, a mouthguard can help prevent enamel damage. When you do not brush your teeth regularly, plaque builds up on your teeth. Plaque can harden and irritate your gums.
Food Choices
Some foods can aggravate gum sensitivity by irritating the tissue, wearing down enamel, or creating a condition that heightens discomfort. Although food is not solely to blame for this problem, it can aggravate existing issues, making your gums and teeth more sensitive.
Foods and drinks with acids, like citrus fruits, tomatoes, sodas, and vinegar-based things. Gradually, this can decrease the protective enamel layer that covers the dentin, a sensitive layer with nerve-filled tubes inside. When enamel is thin, dentin is exposed, which makes teeth sensitive to hot, cold, and sweet. When you eat or drink acidic foods, it can irritate your gums. If your gums are already weak, it could worsen the sensitivity. This will have a double impact on your sensitivity.
Eating sweet treats, including chocolates, pastries, and soft drinks, can also make our gums sensitive. These foods help the bacteria that cause plaque in your mouth. The acids these bacteria produce irritate your gums, causing swelling and soreness. If this continues, it will start a gum recession, which will expose tooth roots and increase sensitivity.
Hard or rough foods can also pose a threat, as nuts, popcorn kernels, and crusty bread will do. Chewing too hard on a sharp-edged item can cause physical damage to the gum tissue.
Eating spicy or salty foods does not necessarily cause sensitivity, but it can worsen when you have inflamed gums or sores in your mouth. Hot or cold foods like soup and ice cream can also cause pain. You may experience gum sensitivity if your gums have receded or your enamel has worn down.
To prevent gum sensitivity from worsening, eat these foods in moderation and maintain good oral hygiene. When plaque builds up and harms the gums, brushing and flossing benefits. A balanced diet with vitamins and calcium can also prevent gum diseases in the long run. You can manage your food and ensure proper oral care to limit the sensitivity and protect the gums.
Find a Dentist Near Me
If your gums are sensitive, it can be troubling and painful. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to address this. The earlier you take action, the better. It is best to act promptly to address gum sensitivity. If you ignore sensitivity, you could develop a more significant dental issue you will find more challenging to manage later. The sooner you make an appointment, the sooner you can receive the treatments you need to return your gums to health.
If you have sensitivity in your gums, contact the Northridge Advanced Dentistry team today at 818-701-3010 for a complete assessment and treatment plan for your unique dental problem.
