Has drinking that coffee become torture? Eating ice cream become agony? Does eating citrus fruit cause too much pain to bother? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’re not alone. With an estimated one in eight adults suffering from the painful condition known as sensitive teeth, chances are even if you aren’t, someone you know is. But what causes sensitive teeth - and what can you do to correct it? If you or a loved one are one of the nearly 40 million Americans who experience pain and sensitivity while eating, keep reading. What Causes Sensitive Teeth? There is no one cause of sensitive teeth. Many factors can contribute to sensitivity, or just one. It can be caused by everything from consuming highly acidic foods like citrus and soda, to brushing too roughly or with too hard a toothbrush bristle. On the more serious end, sensitive teeth can be caused by teeth grinding, gum disease, receding gums, enamel wear, fractured teeth, cavities and exposed dentin on the teeth. All these issues can make it easier for hot, cold and acidic foods to reach the nerves of the tooth, causing the pain and sensitivity we feel when we consume them. Can I Fix Tooth Sensitivity Myself? If you are experiencing sensitivity while consuming certain foods – or even when your teeth are exposed to cold air - there are treatment options available. We recommend you first examine your diet. Are you eating a diet that is high in acidic foods or citrus? Try cutting back on or eliminating those foods from your diet and see if the sensitivity wanes. The next step you should try is switching to sensitive toothpaste. Sensitive toothpaste can actually fill in some of the microscopic canals in your teeth that lead to the nerves, preventing them from exposure to whatever is causing the sensitivity in the first place. If sensitive toothpaste is still not enough, schedule an appointment with Dr. George for an exam. At the Dentist If you are unable to resolve your tooth sensitivity at home, it's time for a visit to Dr. George. There your teeth will be evaluated, and several options may be discussed depending on the reason your teeth are sensitive. For receding gums, a gum-grafting procedure may be recommended, or for teeth with exposed dentin, inlays, onlays or crowns may be applied. You may also require a root canal or filling, or it could be as simple of a fix as applying a sealant to the teeth. If you have any questions or concerns about your tooth sensitivity, please contact Dr. George’s office at 724-220-2347.

Some like it hot – their tea, that is. But if the findings of a new study are any indication, it may be best to let that cup of tea, coffee or bone broth cool down quite a bit before drinking it. That’s because, according to a research study recently published in the International Journal of Cancer, drinking scalding-hot tea could do more than just burn your mouth: It can cause esophageal cancer. Esophageal cancer is admittedly not the most common type of cancer. In fact, in the United States, esophageal cancer only affects 1 percent of the population. But rates of the disease are much higher elsewhere on Earth - mostly in Asian countries like Iran and China, where tea drinking is not only much more common, but teas are also served much hotter than they are in America. "The theory behind the increased risk in cancer is that the hot tea is causing cellular damage by repeatedly injuring the tissue in the esophagus," says Dr. Alexandra George, a dentist from Wexford, Pennsylvania. "Think of it like getting skin cancer from repeated sunburns, except it’s from hot liquid." In the study, researchers took several temperature measurements of participants’ tea. They measured the tea’s actual temperature as well as the temperature at which the participant chose to consume their cup of tea. A staggering 317 new cases of esophageal cancer were diagnosed during the study. What the researchers found was that the hotter the tea, and the less time that passed between the tea being poured and being consumed, the higher the risk for esophageal cancer. The results were then compared with samples from people who drank 700 ml of tea each day at lower temperatures. Individuals who drank the hotter tea (over 140 degrees Fahrenheit) had a 90 percent higher risk of developing esophageal cancer than those who did not. "It's important to note that this is not exclusive to just tea," says George. "It can happen with any hot beverage. Tea was used in the study because it is the second most popular drink in the world – the first being water. It’s also important to note that drinking too-hot tea once or twice probably won’t cause esophageal cancer. The study followed regular tea drinkers who regularly drank tea above a certain temperature."