Loose Tooth: Causes, Prevention, and Treatment

It is quite disturbing to have a loose tooth in your mouth which almost always hinders with your normal food habits and sometimes causes pain. The common cause for a loose tooth is periodontitis (infection of the supporting structures of the teeth), which arises from poor oral hygiene. A loose tooth could also result from an acute injury to the tooth and the supporting bone.

The biological reason for a loose tooth is the lack of support to the tooth from the bone underlying it. In the majority of the cases, the bone is resorbed due to infection. The treatment modalities for a loose tooth has to be decided based on the extent and severity of the mobility of tooth. However, extraction of teeth followed by replacement is to be done when the prognosis is hopeless like in the case of an extremely mobile tooth.

Common Causes of Loose Tooth

• Periodontitis.
• Osteoporosis.
• Hormonal changes during pregnancy.
• Trauma.
• Teeth grinding.

Treatment Options

Your doctor may perform procedures like splinting (the loose tooth are stabilized by fixing them to the firm tooth) which is not a permanent solution. Splinting stabilizes the tooth and helps maintain the esthetics and function.

Up to a certain degree of mobility due to periodontal reasons could be treated using regenerative therapies in which the infected bone is removed (curettage) and a bone graft is placed. The bone graft later forms new bone which provides support to the teeth.

However, the most commonly performed treatment for a loose tooth is extraction and replacement with dental implants or a fixed or removable prosthesis.

A loose tooth is quite difficult to treat and bringing it back to its healthy and stable condition depends on plenty of factors including maintenance of hygiene and sometimes systemic health. Based on the cause and severity, your dentist may suggest one of the following treatments:

• Deep cleaning.
• Splinting.
• Bone Grafting.
• Mouthguard.
• Extraction.

Prevention

Preventive measures for loose tooth include:

• maintaining good oral hygiene,
• regular dental checkup,
• having a healthy and balanced diet to avoid systemic diseases like diabetes which could be a contributing factor in tooth mobility.

There is absolutely no substitute for a healthy natural tooth. The replacement treatments like implants are effective and long-lasting, but before receiving any of them, confirm with your dentist if the tooth could be saved. If your dentist does not give you an option, ask for it.

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