I tried whitening my teeth and now the teeth are extremely sensitive what do you advise

Q. Hello Dr Patel, I needed my crown replacing as the old one had cracked & I decided to whiten my teeth first. My dentist provided the tooth whitener & trays. My teeth were so extremely sensitive after a couple of tries it was unbearable. My dentist said she had never experienced a patient with such sensitivity, she advised me to only use it once or twice a week, also to put sensodyne toothpaste into the trays & leave it in overnights. Eventually I had to give it up after using 6 ampoules.My teeth seemed to settle down a bit so I had the temorary crown placed & started suffering with extreme sensitivity to all my teeth, from cold only, I put up with it for 2 weeks then had the new crown put in. That was nearly 4 weeks ago & the pain carries on. I have noticed it worsens when I have to use a nasal spray for hayfever ( beconase ) or a decongestant. In the last few days apart from all the zinging in my teeth, also feeling like I am biting on tin foil, there is a bit of a dull ache in the crowned tooth. I keep hoping this will all settle down on it’s own, but am beginning to wonder if I should go back to my dentist, what do you advise ? Thank you

A. You need to go back and have your crown assessed.  Teeth whitening does cause sensitivity but it should be gone with  a week.  I can only guess but maybe you had too much whitening gel in your trays and that you ulcerated your gums.  You may need a weaker whitening gel and need to use a lot less.  The sensitivity on your crown could be due to the nerve in your tooth it needs to be checked.

Dr Riten Patel The Mulberry 18 Ashley Road, Walton on Thames Surrey, KT12 1HS Web: www.mulberrydental.co.uk Tel: 01932 223 479 View My Profile Dr Patel

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