Sensitive teeth are a problem worldwide. They are often caused by exposed tooth necks. If the gum recedes, the tooth neck is exposed and the cementum becomes eroded. At this point there are narrow passageways called dentin tubuli. Here undesirable hot/cold or sweet/sour stimuli can be conducted to the nerves in the pulp cavity, thus causing pain. Henkel and SusTech Darmstadt have developed Nanit®active – a natural solution to sensitive teeth.

Nanit®active is a biocomposite of nano hydroxyapatite crystals and protein molecules. It forms a totally new tooth-analogous material on exposed dentin. Nanit®active induces the crystallisation of calcium and phosphate from the saliva to grow a thin protective layer. In this way the natural repair mechanism (mineralisation) of the saliva is used in a new form. We have termed this self-organisation process as the so-called Neomineralisation.

So far the following oral care products with Nanit®active have been launched: