Ten Remedies for Sensitive Teeth

I recently had a crown replace and now the remaining tooth, under the new crown, is very sensitive. The dentist said use sensitive toothpaste or get a root canal. The sensitive toothpaste uses fluoride, which I would rather avoid. Any suggestions? The new crown is all some sort of composite material, no metal, that they milled in the office while I waited. I've been using clove oil, but it's not really convenient to carry about to work, etc, and doesn't really solve the problem. Is there a way to desensitize the nerve?