Grin and bear it

If you’ve got sensitive teeth then anything hot, cold or sweet can set them on edge. The condition is caused by fluid from the pulp—the blood vessels and nerves inside the tooth—permeating dentine exposed by receding gums. But treating it is a problem because dentists can’t see where this is happening. Now a sensor made by researchers at the University of Leeds should make their job easier. The sensor uses a painless alternating voltage to pick out unusually porous regions of the dentine. “The regions can then be blocked with a resin and checked to ensure it has worked,” says researcher Neil Meredith.…