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“How Can Sensitive Dentin Become Hypersensitive?”

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Clinician's Guide to the Diagnosis and Management of Tooth Sensitivity

Abstract

When dentinal tubules first become exposed, patients note that those areas become more sensitive to tactile, evaporative, and osmotic stimuli. However, over time, especially with poor plaque control, those areas become progressively truly hypersensitive. There are a number of mechanisms responsible for hypersensitivity including localized pulpal inflammation, sprouting of pulpal nerves, and expression of “inflammatory” sodium channels. Often such hypersensitivity spontaneously disappears. These protective mechanisms will be reviewed. The problem arises for patients whose exposed dentin becomes hypersensitive and whose endogenous protective mechanism fails to correct the hypersensitivity.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported, in part, by R01 DE015306 from the NIDCR to DHP (PI) and by the King Abdulazziz University School of Dentistry to Prof. Pashley as their Hi-Ci dental scholar.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oral Biology, College of Dental Medicine, Georgia Regents University, 1120 15th Street, CL-2112, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA

    David H. Pashley DMD, PhD

Authors
  1. David H. Pashley DMD, PhD
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Correspondence to David H. Pashley DMD, PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan

    Sahar Taha

  2. Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences and Endodontics, University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Brian H. Clarkson

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Pashley, D.H. (2014). “How Can Sensitive Dentin Become Hypersensitive?”. In: Taha, S., Clarkson, B. (eds) Clinician's Guide to the Diagnosis and Management of Tooth Sensitivity. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45164-5_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45164-5_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-45163-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-45164-5

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