Loose Teeth & Bite Problems
If you have a loose permanent tooth, you’re probably aware of how uncomfortable it can be. Biting or chewing with a loose tooth can be painful and challenging, and it can also make a loose tooth looser or even cause it to fall out. It may be possible to prevent a loose permanent tooth from falling out, but prompt dental attention is important if the tooth is to be saved.
The most frequently noted reason for a loose permanent tooth is gum disease, which is inflammation and bacterial infection in the gums and bone that support the teeth. Gum disease arises when bacterial plaque is allowed to accumulate on the surfaces of the teeth and at the gum line, and this occurs when oral hygiene habits are inconsistent or absent. As it progresses, gum disease causes the gums and ligaments to detach from the teeth and destroys the bone that supports the teeth, which causes the teeth to loosen and, if the gum disease is not treated, to potentially fall out. The normal forces of biting and chewing can cause loosened teeth to fall out more rapidly, and prompt treatment is needed if a tooth that is loose due to gum disease is to be saved.
Clenching or grinding the teeth, a habitual behavior known as bruxism, can also damage and possibly loosen the teeth. Bruxism can cause the ligaments that attach the tooth to the bone to stretch excessively, which can lead to loosened teeth, and bruxism can also cause pain in the jaws, wear on the teeth, and loss of bone. When people with gum disease also clench or grind their teeth, the damage is more significant.
Treatments for loose teeth that have arisen due to bite problems include biological treatments and mechanical treatments. Biological treatments address the gum disease that is often present when the teeth have loosened, and mechanical treatments include modifying the bite or using splints or other stabilizing therapies to hold the teeth in place as the supporting tissues heal. To manage gum disease, a dentist will thoroughly clean the teeth, including the root surfaces and below the gum line, to remove plaque and dental calculus, or tartar, which are teeming with bacteria. This dental deep cleaning is accompanied by instructions for improved oral hygiene, and, when the oral hygiene habits are improved, deep cleaning and proper oral hygiene can reduce inflammation and allow the gums to heal, which can help restore stability to the teeth.
Mechanical treatments aim to adjust the forces that the teeth are subjected to. This may involve reshaping the teeth to adjust the way the upper and lower teeth make contact with one another while biting and chewing, replacing damaged fillings, or restoring teeth that have worn down and come to affect the bite. Dentists can also help reduce stress on the teeth by splinting them together, distributing the bite force more evenly across the teeth, and, if bruxism is an issue, dentists can provide mouthguards that are worn at night to protect the teeth from the excessive forces of grinding or clenching. In most cases, effective treatment for a loose tooth will combine biological and mechanical approaches, and in all cases, prompt dental attention is necessary, so if you feel like you have a loose tooth, see your dentist as soon as you can. It may be possible to save the tooth and restore the mouth to health, but only a dentist can determine this, and the sooner they can diagnose the issue and begin treatment, the better.