to mr xla.

[josie48]

You seem to know your onions Mr XLA. I've got an impacted wisdom tooth which only aches now and again but the tooth next to it plays up like hell if I eat or drink anything cold. My denstist told me the old saying "Getting a bit long in the tooth" is true and applies to my tooth as the gum is receding. She never said I needed a filling so what would you suggest?. Im almost 60 btw. thanks.

[MrXLA]

Hi josie48, impacted wisdom teeth can cause a number of problems (as you seem to be well aware unfortunately for you) one is that you can get inflammation of the tissue around the tooth, because part of it is below the 'gum' and food tends to get stuck here this can cause inflmmation, swelling and pain.
However unless symptoms with the wisdom teeth itself recur frequently impacted wisdom teeth are usually left in place.
Another problem they can cause its decay of the back surface of the tooth in front because food gets stuck in this region and its difficult to clean, however it sounds as though your dentist has examined this tooth and is happy there is no decay there.
Throughout life we do get a variable amount of recession of the gum and this can be excerbated by chronic gum disease, episodes of gum disease or local areas.
The problem with having an impacted wisdom tooth is that it can contribute towards recession of the gum of the tooth in front.
When the gum recedes it exposes the root surface which can be very sensitive, assuming the 'gum is stable' then hopefully the recession will not get any worse and in that case your dentist can apply topical agents/varnishes etc.. to reduce the sensitivity and also you could use a sensitive toothpaste for normal use and also apply a small amount topically to the sensitive area (although some people do find this irratates the gum so be careful).
If this is the case the sensitivity should reduce over time as the nerves inside teeth essentially 'shrink' in response to continued insult.

[MrXLA]

Hope this is helpful another point is that the sensitivity may actually be coming from or as well as the wisdom tooth itself (but I'm asssuming your dentist would have assessed this where possible)

[josie48]

Thanks for the run down Mr XLA. Score 10 out of 10:-)). I see what you mean about the inflamation as I feel as if there's inflamation there at times. I use Sensodyne to clean my teeth and we use a sonic tooth cleaner. I find if I use the cleaner on a low brush the tooth in question and the gum area seem to be soothed. Im not due for another check up until June so meantime I'll use the Sensodyne as a soother as you've advised. Thanks a lot for your advice much appreciated.