Why Do My Teeth Hurt?

An ice cold drink. A bowl of hot soup. If you have sensitive teeth, everyday foods and drinks can unexpectedly trigger a jolt of nerve pain, fast. That short, sharp pain is characteristic of what people with tooth sensitivity experience.

Tooth sensitivity can occur in just 1 tooth—you don’t have to feel pain in every tooth to have sensitive teeth.

Signs of Tooth Sensitivity

Teeth sensitive to cold food and drinks

Sensitivity to cold

Teeth sensitive to hot food and drinks

Sensitivity to hot

Teeth sensitive to sweet food and drinks

Sensitivity to sweets

Teeth sensitive to sour food and drinks

Sensitivity to sour foods

Tips

How to Deal with foods and drinks tooth sensitivity to

HotCold

Sensodyne Can Help

5 Star Rating

5.0 Customer Rating

“Having sensitive teeth, I found this product worked really well for me. After brushing twice daily for about a week, I was able to enjoy ice cream and cold drinks again.”

—Lorna, Saint Louis, MO

How can Sensodyne help

Sensodyne Deep Clean Toothpaste product image

Other Causes of Tooth Pain

Cavities or Tooth Decay

Unlike tooth sensitivity, tooth pain caused by a cavity can range from a short sharp feeling to a dull ache. Ask your dentist to make a diagnosis.

Cracked tooth

Tooth pain as a result of trauma (e.g. sports injuries) could be due to a fracture along the tooth. Ask your dentist to make a diagnosis.

Teeth Whitening

Bleaching treatments used to whiten your teeth at home can cause you to experience tooth pain. Ask your dentist for professional advice on tooth whitening.

  • Cavities or Tooth Decay

    Unlike tooth sensitivity, tooth pain caused by a cavity can range from a short sharp feeling to a dull ache. Ask your dentist to make a diagnosis.1

  • Cracked tooth

    Tooth pain as a result of trauma (e.g. sports injuries) could be due to a fracture along the tooth. Ask your dentist to make a diagnosis.

  • Teeth Whitening

    Bleaching treatments used to whiten your teeth at home can cause you to experience tooth pain. Ask your dentist for professional advice on tooth whitening.2, 3

  • Jaw joint disorders

    Excessive grinding or clenching of the jaw can cause pain in your jaw, that can feel like tooth ache. A range of causes including stress have been linked to causing jaw joint disorders. Ask your dentist to make a diagnosis.