Do You Have a Loose Adult Tooth?
Having a loose adult tooth is scary, particularly if that tooth is in the front part of your mouth. The last thing you want is a smile with gaps, so you panic about the problem. However, the good news is your dentist helps you fix your loose tooth. How that fix occurs depends on multiple factors, such as the cause of your loose tooth problem.
Permanent teeth loosen just like baby teeth, but for different reasons. It does not occur because of another tooth pushing down on it or “growing in.” For adult teeth, loosening usually occurs because of injury, teeth grinding, gum disease, or other problems. For any loose adult tooth, you need to visit your dentist.
Options to Treat Your Loose Adult Tooth
Specifically, treating your loose tooth starts with a dental exam. Once your dentist finds the cause of your loosening tooth, he helps you fix it.
For example, one option is tooth splint. Like a splint for other parts of your body, a dental splint helps give your loose tooth support to strengthen. The splint bonds to the surface of your loose tooth and another nearby tooth with greater strength and stability. A nighttime mouth guard also provides some support for your tooth to tighten in its socket if you grind your teeth.
In fact, adult teeth often loosen due to gum disease. This requires your dentist to provide deep cleaning. Furthermore, deep cleaning removes pockets of bacteria under your gum line that cause infection and receding gums. This infection is one of the most common causes of loose permanent teeth. Therefore, deep cleaning and receding gums treatment often solve your problem.
If your tooth remains loose and needs greater stability on a permanent basis, your dentist places a dental crown. He can fuse this crown to adjacent teeth for further stability.
See Your Dentist Regularly
To prevent loose teeth, you need to see your dentist regularly. Additionally, you also need to gain an immediate appointment to avoid losing your loose adult tooth. If your dentist provides a removable device, like a mouth guard to help with teeth grinding, it is important to use the device.
By seeing your dentist regularly, you prevent tooth problems like this loosening. Your dental team catches signs of problems early before you notice any changes or discomfort. When a problem exists, modern dentistry provides many methods of treating these concerns and getting your teeth back to their healthiest state.