How can a loose tooth be fixed?

Doctor's Answers 1

You are quite young to be having a loose tooth! In someone of your age, I would suspect some background of injury (a blow or some kind of heavy impact) to that particular tooth.

As for whether a loose tooth can be "fixed", it depends on why the tooth has become loosened in the first place.

1) Trauma (injury)

When a tooth sustains impact (from a fall or from trauma to the face or jaws), the connection of the tooth root to the bone may be severed or the root may fracture entirely. A proper assessment (clinical and radiographic, using xrays) is required to determine the type of injury that has occurred.

The SOONER the injury is assessed and treated, the better the likelihood of getting the tooth to stabilize.

Management may include repositioning of the tooth if it has been knocked out of position and splinting (joining the loose tooth to other more stable teeth) to stabilize the tooth while the supporting tissues heal.

2) Gum disease

If you have severe gum disease that has destroyed the supporting bone around the root of the tooth, this can cause the affected tooth to loosen. Very often, there will be an accompanying gum pocket beside the affected tooth. The gum pocket is filled with bacteria and may even discharge pus or bleed when probed.

If the bone loss is moderate, deep cleaning of the pocket and sometimes gum surgery may help to encourage healing and stabilize the tooth.

Severe bone loss is extremely difficult to treat and may not respond to treatment.

3) Heavy bite

If you have had a recent filling/crown that is slightly too thick, the repeated biting pressure may cause a tooth to loosen. Reduction of the filling/crown material thickness can resolve the loosening and discomfort rapidly.

4) Abscess

If a tooth has developed an abscess inside the bone due to a root canal infection, the accumulation of inflammatory tissue and pus at the root tip can cause the tooth to become extruded (stick out of the gum more than its neighbours). The tooth tends to be traumatized by repeated biting force and can become loose.

Treatment of the abscess (by root canal treatment) will resolve the loosening rapidly.

If you are serious about keeping your tooth, I would encourage you to seek evaluation and management with your dentist as soon as possible. Early treatment can prolong the lifespan of your tooth if started in a timely manner.

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Dr Eng Cern Gan

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