Precipitated silica materials are provided for utilization as abrasives or thickeners within dentifrice formulations that simultaneously effectuate tubule blocking within tooth dentin to reduce dentin sensitivity. Such precipitated silica materials have sufficiently small particle sizes and exhibit certain ionic charge levels by, for example, adjusting the zeta potential properties of the precipitated silica materials through treatment with certain metals to permit effective static attraction and eventual accumulation within dentin tubules when applied to teeth from a dentifrice formulation.