Loose teeth — causes, symptoms and treatments

Here is how loose teeth can create havoc to your dental health.

By: Debjani Arora | | Updated: February 24, 2015 10:16 pm

Teeth are supposed to be strong and white however with time they tend to lose their grip and strength. One of the common dental problems that both adults and children face alike after cavities is loose teeth. This dental crisis is characterised with mobile teeth, difficulty in chewing, tooth pain along with redness and soreness in the gums surrounding a loose tooth. Also Read - Covid tongues: Many patients suffering from strange coronavirus symptoms not yet listed by WHO

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Periodontal diseases

One of the most common causes of loose teeth is bone loss caused by gum disease also known as periodontal disease. Poor oral hygiene, smoking, diabetes and lack of consistent dental cleanings can lead to periodontal disease. Accumulation of food and bacteria under your gums that remain for long, leads to the spread of infection. It causes your gum tissue to loosen their hold on your teeth resulting in loose teeth. The infection destroys the connecting fibres and deteriorates the supporting bone that actually holds the teeth in your mouth. In usual cases, people remain unaware of the disease as it s painless, until symptoms such as gum bleeding and bad breath appear along with mobile teeth,’ says Dr Karishma Jaradi, aesthetic dentist, Dentzz Dental Care Centres. Apart from eroding your dental health, gum diseases has a proven negative effect on health conditions elevating your risk for heart attack, stroke, diabetes and other serious health problems. Here are seven kitchen ingredients that can help you alleviate a toothache.

Trauma to the teeth

Any kind of injury, force or trauma could lead to loose teeth. For instance, people who suffer from the condition Bruxism where one clenches his teeth in the night could lead to erosion of the gums and teeth that could further lead to tooth mobility. Other forms of trauma that could lead to the same fate could be a bite injury or an accidental injury. A bite injury is an outcome of uneven teeth alignment which could give rise to force or pressure during biting that could make the tooth loose. Here is how poor dental hygiene can lead to oral cancer.

Other dental conditions

Sometimes a condition like abscess or a tumor in the gums can also erode the gum line making the teeth become mobile and loose.

Loose teeth can cause discomfort in the following ways:

It leads to pain and discomfort while chewing foods, says Dr Jaradi.
It leads to intolerable pain along with tooth mobility.
It makes oral care difficult as it poses a problem while brushing and flossing.
It can give rise to gum infections and swelling which can aggravate pain.

Here are ways in which loose teeth can be fixed and treated:

Go for a professional clean-up: An extensive gum clean-up can make your teeth free of the build-up of bacteria and help restore mobility. Extensive gum cleaning will also help arrest underlying periodontal diseases. In fact opting for extensive gum clean-up when one experiences pain during chewing food can help restore the problem before it turns worse, says Dr Jaradi.

Opt for proper teeth alignment: If improper alignment of teeth is the reason behind loose and mobile teeth a proper orthodontic treatment should be charted out to achieve bite adjustment and alignment so that the force of biting is dissipated evenly through the teeth surface.

Wear a night guard: To combat problems like Bruxism wear a night guard to avoid erosion of teeth and gum lines. Your dentist can provide one after a detailed consultation and thorough investigation of your condition. Here is all that you need to know about Bruxism.

Opt for tooth extraction: Teeth, which tend to move in all direction and seem to be beyond any repair needs to be extracted for your own good.

Say yes to dental treatments: A clinical procedure called the splinting involves joining the loose teeth to the adjacent firm ones. This distributes the biting force evenly. Splinting is usually done using a thin steel wire, which is passed through the spaces between the loose teeth and the adjacent strong teeth in a specific pattern, so as to attain maximum stabilization of the loose tooth.

Pay attention to your diet: ‘Minerals such as calcium and silica are vital for mending and rebuilding tooth structure. Vitamin C, D, and K are also important for gum health and tooth strength, so you can include vitamin C-rich foods such as citrus fruits like lime juice, orange, etc. in your diet and have more dairy products and green vegetables to ensure enough calcium intake,’ says Dr Jaradi.

Image source: Getty Images

Published : October 29, 2014 12:57 pm | Updated:February 24, 2015 10:16 pm

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