Professional Loose Teeth Treatments
It is an eventuality that children will lose their baby teeth so when they start to become loose, it is a natural occurrence. But when an adult gets a loose permanent tooth, it can be concerning and warrants attention as soon as possible before is leads to serious issues that can lead to the need for a tooth extraction. A loose permanent tooth may indicate underlying disease or signify that the person’s oral health is poor.
Adults may experience the following symptoms when dealing with a loose permanent tooth:
- Tooth or gum pain
- Swollen or red gums
- Gum bleeding when touched or brushing the teeth
- Receding gums
Since many of these symptoms can signal disease, a consultation with a dental professional will be necessary to pinpoint what is causing the tooth to be loose. Once the cause is identified, the dentist can prescribe the treatment that is appropriate for the patient’s case. This article will examine the different professional treatments that could be used to correct one or more loose teeth.
Review of the Causes of Loose Teeth
Before discussing professional treatments for loose permanent teeth, it is useful to review the common causes in adults:
- Plaque buildup
- Periodontal (gum) disease
- Clenching or grinding the teeth (bruxism)
- Injury or trauma
- Poor oral hygiene
- Osteoporosis
- Pregnancy – hormonal changes
Professional Treatments for Loose Permanent Teeth
Deep Cleaning
Should a loose tooth be caused by plaque or gum disease, the dentist could treat the issue via a deep cleaning procedure. Known formally as teeth scaling and root planing, the procedure is performed on an outpatient basis in the dentist’s office. Local anesthesia may be used in some cases to minimize any discomfort the patient may experience during the cleaning.
The initial step of the procedure is teeth scaling. This involves scraping away plaque that has accumulated on the teeth and in any pockets that formed between the teeth and gums. Root planing follows where the dentist smooths the patient’s tooth roots using a scaling tool. By smoothing the roots, the gums are better able to reattach to the teeth and become firm in position again. Following the procedure, antibiotics could be prescribed to clear away any residual bacterial infection.
Surgery
For more serious cases, loose teeth may require surgical intervention to correct the issue. One such treatment could include bone and tissue grafting. Sourced from the patient, donated materials, or synthetic, the bone and tissue are placed around the affected tooth to strengthen the area.
If all other treatments fail, osseous surgery could be employed to correct teeth that are loose due to periodontal disease. With this surgery, the gums are cut open to expose the infection so that infected tissue can be removed, and bacteria cleared away. If the bone is also damaged, it will be replaced with new tissue.
Tooth Splinting
Tooth splinting can be useful for patients that have loose teeth due to the loss of gum tissue. During the procedure, the loose teeth are attached together using a thin wire to form a single, stronger unit than the teeth individually. It can help not only to save the patients teeth, but reduce any pain they experienced from the loose teeth.