Healthy teeth are the strongest parts of your body, and they owe much of their strength to their roots, which are embedded within your jawbone. When the foundation of periodontal tissues and jawbone is weakened, your teeth can become loose (known as tooth mobility), making them less able to effectively bite and chew. Today, we explore the causes behind loose teeth, and how to keep them from becoming lost teeth with help from your dentist.
Should I Worry About Loose Teeth?
When tooth decay afflicts your tooth, the infection strips away the layers of your tooth’s main structure, called the crown. A toothache often warns you of the danger, though tooth decay doesn’t typically cause your tooth to loosen. By contrast, gum disease specifically afflicts the gums surrounding your teeth’s roots, and in its aggressive form, called periodontitis, the disease can reach and infect your jawbone.
As your mouth’s foundation falls way to gum disease, its grip on your teeth slackens, and one or more teeth can become loose. An accidental injury, bite trauma (a tooth subjected to excessive pressure due to misalignment), an abscess (pocket of infection), or other oral abnormalities can also lead to tooth mobility.
Get a Grip (On Your Teeth)
Since gum disease is the leading cause of loose and lost teeth, you may be able to reverse tooth mobility with periodontal treatment, which clears the infection so your gums can heal and reattach to your teeth.
If your condition worsens before you can seek treatment and your tooth is lost or requires extraction, then your dentist may recommend replacing the tooth with a dental implant. Surgically inserted into your jawbone, a dental implant is the only option for replacing lost teeth roots, and can provide your replacement tooth with the stability of a prosthetic root.
ABOUT YOUR ASTORIA, NY, DENTIST:
Jeffrey Leibowitz, DDS, a native New Yorker, has welcomed patients and families from in and around Astoria, NY(including Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and all surrounding communities) since opening his dental practice in 1991. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Leibowitz, call our office in Astoria today at 718-728-8320.
