When you’re a kid, it’s normal to have loose teeth. After all, we must give up our starter set of teeth to get our adult teeth. But once your adult teeth come in, they should be secure.
If your adult tooth is loose, we have to figure out why and recommend a dental treatment so you can stop asking “why is my tooth loose?” to your closest friends. Here are some common reasons why you might have loose teeth and what treatment the Wichita Falls dentist at StarImage Dentistry might recommend.
1. Recent Orthodontic Work
Braces, Invisalign, and other types of orthodontics move your teeth by reshaping the bone around the teeth. The new bone around the teeth may not be completely solidified after your braces come off, and you might notice a small amount of looseness.
This isn’t a cause for concern–it’s normal. It’s what your retainer is for. Your retainer’s purpose is to hold your teeth in place as the bone around them hardens and can hold them in place more firmly. That’s why you should wear your retainer most of the time after you first get your braces off.
If you wonder, “Why do my teeth hurt when I wear my retainer?” it’s likely because you have gone an extended period without wearing it, and your teeth have shifted. A retainer can damage teeth if it’s too tight. If your teeth feel loose and your retainer is too tight, please visit us for assistance.
Mention your concern when you make your regular checkups at our Wichita Falls dental office. We’ll let you know if something else is happening and if any additional treatment is necessary.
2. Tooth Trauma
Did you get hit in the mouth or teeth recently? In this case, “recently” can mean weeks. If so, this trauma is the most likely cause of your loose tooth. If you have an orthodontic retainer handy, you can wear that until the tooth becomes solid again. Otherwise, you should come in and see us. You should also see us if your tooth feels tender when touched, looks longer or taller than it used to, is angled out of place, becomes discolored, or makes an unusual sound when (gently) tapped.
Our Wichita Falls dentist can look at your tooth and determine how much damage the bone and periodontal ligament experienced. We may splint the tooth to hold it in place while it heals.
Sometimes, the damage to the tooth support is too bad, and the tooth won’t heal. There may even be additional bone loss occurring around the tooth. The injury to the tooth itself may or may not cause bone loss. If the tooth has an injury, it may turn dark in color. We may have to do root canal therapy on the injured tooth.
In some cases, we may not be able to save the tooth and may have to extract and replace it. Dental implants are the best tooth-replacement option available.
3. Gum Disease
Gum disease is one of the most common causes of loose teeth, and it’s the leading cause of lost teeth among adults. If you have red, inflamed, or receding gums around the loose tooth or teeth, you should consider this a situation that needs urgent dental care. This isn’t just about saving your teeth. Gum disease bacteria can increase your risk of serious health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, dementia, and cancer. The Wichita Falls dentists at StarImage Dentistry can help you manage gum disease to improve your oral and overall health.
We will evaluate your gum health and decide on a course of treatment. For minor gum disease, you only need to make minor hygiene changes. However, if your tooth is loose, you will likely need a deep cleaning, possibly surgery. Sometimes, it might be too late to save a loose tooth.
We may also use a splint to stabilize your tooth during treatment. Gum disease treatment is often successful at saving healthy teeth, and it’s a lot cheaper than dental implants!
4. Bad Bite
If you’ve noticed that one or more teeth look worn as well as loose, then it’s likely that you have TMJ or a bad bite to blame in full or in part for your loose teeth.
If your bite puts excessive force on one or more teeth, it can damage the supporting bone, making the teeth loose. The recurring force from a bad bite can have the reverse effect of orthodontics, leading to crooked, crowded teeth.
To correct loose teeth, in this case, we have to fix your entire bite. We may stabilize one or more teeth with splinting, but we’ll also do bite measurements and recommend treatments that address the imbalanced bite, including a bite splint, orthodontics, and/or restorations to build up worn teeth.
Let’s Fix Your Tooth and Save Your Smile
If you’re in the Wichita Falls, TX, area and have a loose tooth, don’t wait to get it looked at. At StarImage Dentistry, we know that a full set of teeth is essential to a beautiful smile, and preserving your teeth is preferable to replacing them. Please call 940-322-2252 today for an appointment at our Wichita Falls dental office, located near Wichita Falls High School. We will do what we can to save your smile.