A dentist in his or her office can also apply fluoride to the teeth as a gel, foam, or varnish. These treatments contain a much higher level of fluoride than the amount found in toothpastes and mouth rinses. Varnishes are painted on the teeth; foams are put into a mouth guard, which is applied to the teeth for one to four minutes; gels can be painted on or applied via a mouth guard.

Treatment depends on the size of the recession. If you have class 5 (notch at side), you might need a more permanent restoration. The type of material to use will depend on your dentist's assessment of the lesion.

Recommend you do both and check with the Hygienist or Dentist to make sure you are use the proper tooth brush and technique.

The fluoride content in over-the-counter products, like Sensodyne, is a much lower dose than what can be provided by the dentist. Thus, they are usually used as maintenance rather than treatment of dental sensitivity. Fluoride does help reduce sensitivity and high concentrations can provide a faster relief. Your dentist can also provide some products for home use that contain a higher concentration of fluoride, but they do require a prescription.

Chi H. Bui, DMD, MS www.theorthobee.com

The two problems are sensitivity and pain upon bite-release. The first can be caused by several situations including 1) over brushing, 2) too little brushing/care of teeth/oral Hygiene 3) morphology of the jaw-bone-teeth among others. Daily Prevident after brushing will help, but it may take 6 weeks or more to notice the reduction in sensitivity. There are topical Desensitizers your Dentist may chose to apply in certain situations. Periodically some dentin/root coverage with a GIC (filling material made for those root surface problem areas) may be an option in select severe cases. To answer your Question about the in office FL- treatment, it is always better to get the in office FL- also..... That being said.... If you have to chose one or the other.... a daily FL- will certainly be a huge advantage especially in the event of sensitivity.

For you second problem with the bite-release and then pain, your dentist is handling it well, a crown is the treatment of choice. However, if symptoms worsen, you may have the crack extension into or too close to the nerve and you may have to have root canal therapy at a later date.

You are wise and your choices will last a lifetime. Solving the problem is only the beginning. Think of how you arrived here and see if there is anything that you can do to avoid further Dental troubles. Sometimes chewing things like ice, popcorn, very hard or very chewy things can crack teeth. Also keep those dental visits regular, and thirdly avoid over brushing. Best of luck!

For cold sensitivity from recession, a fluoride treatment is recommended. There are treatment options for the receding gum that is causing pain, but those are more expensive than the fluoride. At home remedies will work with time, but everyone is different. If you want to try to treat the sensitivity as quickly as possible, having the fluoride treatment at the office and following up with at home treatments is your best bet. Everyone is different so work with your dentist to find the best answer for yourself. I hope this helps.

To the question should I get Fluoride tx at the dental office. I believe the answer is yes. It is beneficial for the the enamel to pick up Fluoride to help protect the teeth. As far as for sensitivity. One treatment at the office will definitely not cure sensitivity. The home remedies such as sensodyne and prevent can and do work in many cases. Sensitivity in general can have many causes such as recession, clenching and grinding, decay, cracked teeth, malocclusion etc.. So to truly treat the sensitivity you have to determine what the cause is.

First check to see if your regular toothpaste at home contains any whitening in it, most of the time it is the whitening that give you tooth sensitive; stop using it for a few days and it should go away. If your at home toothpaste does not have whitening in it, then stay with the recommended toothpaste from your dentist (prescription strength). Topical fluoride in dentist office is helpful but won't help if you have a problem with sensitivity. Your dentist can help you diagnose for teeth grind/clenching which can give you gum recession and sensitive to temperature.

Sounds like a few things going on. In general, cold sensivity from gum recession can often be alleviated with a desensitizing toothpaste, such as sensodyne, along with using a soft brush. If one is experiencing pain on biting, that often indicates a cracked tooth - a crown is often the treatment of choice. Lastly, not only are kids cavity prove, but so are adults: professional application of Flouride (much stronger than OTC Flouride pastes and rinses) can be effective in reducing your risk of decay (along with brushing, flossing and limiting intake of sugars and carbonated beverages).

A professionally applied flouride treatment is always better than home remedies.

After you have the flouride treatment at the dental office it is a good idea to follow-up treatment with a perscription of topical flouride to be applied at home such as Clinpro or Prevident.

Your condition and symptoms are more suggestive of a cracked tooth and in need of a crown.