Sensitive teeth: how Sensodyne and other toothpastes work, and how to stop the pain

That short, sharp jolt from ice cream, a cold drink, a sweet biscuit or even a breath of winter air is dentine hypersensitivity, and it affects somewhere between one in eight and one in three adults depending on which survey you read. It is usually not dangerous, it usually responds to the right toothpaste within a few weeks, and it is also occasionally a sign of something that needs a dentist. This guide covers all three.

Sensodyne, made by Haleon, is the brand most Australians reach for, and most of this page is about how it and its competitors work. We have used Haleon’s own ingredient declarations and Australian retail prices checked in November 2026. Nothing here is a diagnosis; if your pain is severe, spontaneous or lasts after the trigger has gone, see a registered dentist.

Why teeth become sensitive

Under the enamel of every tooth is dentine, a softer tissue shot through with thousands of microscopic channels (tubules) that run toward the nerve. When enamel wears away or the gum recedes, the dentine is exposed, and cold, heat, sweetness or touch moves the fluid in those tubules, which stimulates the nerve. That is the pain.

Haleon lists the common causes of exposure as gum recession, from gum disease or from brushing too hard with a hard-bristled brush, and enamel wear, from over-brushing or from acid erosion by acidic food and drink. Other triggers include tooth grinding, which wears the biting edges, and recent dental work: a new filling, a scale and clean, or teeth whitening, all of which can cause temporary sensitivity.

How to ease sensitive-teeth pain quickly

If you want relief today rather than in three weeks, two products are designed for it. Sensodyne Rapid Relief: Haleon’s directions are to put a pea-sized amount on a clean fingertip and rub it into each sensitive area for one minute, up to twice a day, before brushing; the claim is relief from cold sensitivity within 60 seconds. Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief has an equivalent rub-on instruction. Both work by plugging the open tubules physically (stannous fluoride and arginine respectively) so the fluid cannot move.

Alongside that, for the next few days: avoid the trigger (cold drinks, ice, citrus, sweets), drink through a straw, breathe through your nose in cold air, use lukewarm water to brush and rinse, and switch to a soft toothbrush. Do not scrub the sensitive spot harder to clean it; that is usually what exposed it. If the pain is from a specific tooth, is throbbing, wakes you at night or lingers for more than a few seconds after the cold has gone, that pattern points to the nerve or a crack rather than simple sensitivity, and you should book a dentist.

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How sensitive-teeth toothpaste works

Desensitising toothpastes use one of two strategies, and some use both.

Calming the nerve. Potassium nitrate (and potassium citrate) diffuses through the tubules to the nerve and reduces its ability to fire. It is the classic Sensodyne ingredient and the basis of the Daily Care range. It works gradually, over two to four weeks of twice-daily brushing, and the effect fades if you stop.

Blocking the tubules. Stannous fluoride (Sensodyne Rapid Relief, Sensitivity and Gum, Oral-B Sensitive), arginine with calcium carbonate (Colgate Pro-Relief) and calcium sodium phosphosilicate, sold as NovaMin (Sensodyne Repair and Protect), each deposit a layer over the dentine that plugs the open channels. Stannous and arginine formulas give the quickest relief; NovaMin builds a mineral layer over days that Haleon describes as a protective layer over the sensitive areas. All need continued use.

Every product in the table also contains fluoride at around the standard Australian adult level (Sensodyne’s Rapid Relief, Repair and Protect, Sensitivity and Gum and Daily Care all declare 1,426 ppm), so switching to a sensitive paste does not cost you decay protection. Use it as your only toothpaste, twice a day, for at least a month before judging it; then keep using it if it works. There is no benefit in alternating with a regular paste.

Sensodyne and other sensitive toothpastes compared

Which to choose: for fast relief, Sensodyne Rapid Relief ($12.30) or Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief ($6.59 on sale at Healthylife, RRP $10.99), both of which can be rubbed on. For sensitivity with bleeding or receding gums, Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum ($10.95), whose stannous fluoride also acts against gum-disease bacteria. For long-term protection of worn or eroded enamel, Sensodyne Repair and Protect ($10.95). For everyday maintenance once the pain has settled, Sensodyne Daily Care ($9.45) is the cheapest in the range.

Prices above are Healthylife and Shaver Shop listings for 100 g tubes in November 2026; Chemist Warehouse and the supermarkets run the same products on regular half-price promotions, so there is rarely a reason to pay RRP. Whitening variants of each range exist; they contain gentle abrasives and are fine, but if your sensitivity is from worn enamel, the plain version is the more sensible choice.

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Habits that stop sensitivity coming back

• Brush gently with a soft brush. An electric toothbrush with a pressure sensor stops you over-brushing; see our electric toothbrush guide. Hold a manual brush with a pen grip, not a fist.
• Wait after acid. Acidic food and drink (citrus, wine, soft drink, sports drink, kombucha) soften enamel for about half an hour. Rinse with water and brush later, not immediately.
• Cut the frequency of acid, not just the amount. Sipping a soft drink over an hour is worse than drinking it in five minutes.
• Do not rinse after brushing. Spit out the foam and leave the fluoride on your teeth.
• Manage grinding. If you wake with a sore jaw or your dentist sees wear, a night guard protects the enamel; see our night guard guide.
• Go easy on whitening. Peroxide products make most people transiently sensitive. Use a sensitive paste for a week beforehand and skip days if it bites; our whitening kits guide covers who should not whiten at all.

When to see a dentist

Sensitive toothpaste is for generalised sensitivity to cold and sweet that goes away as soon as the trigger does. See a registered dentist, rather than persisting with toothpaste, if:

• the pain is in one tooth, or started suddenly
• it lingers for more than a few seconds, throbs, or wakes you at night
• it is triggered by biting or by heat, which can indicate a crack or an inflamed nerve
• you can see a hole, a dark spot, a chipped edge or a receded gum with exposed root
• your gums bleed, which points to gum disease
• four weeks of a sensitive paste has made no difference

A dentist can seal exposed root surfaces with a fluoride varnish or bonding resin in one visit, treat the underlying decay, crack or gum problem, or in persistent cases discuss a gum graft or, for a damaged nerve, root canal treatment. Our guides to dental costs and root canal cost give indicative fees, and our gum disease guide covers bleeding and receding gums. Check that any practitioner you see is registered with AHPRA.

Common questions