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Caused by gum disease
Following a dental injury
After braces
Caused by Gum (Periodontal) Disease
If you have one or more loose teeth as a result of gum (periodontal) disease, it's important to have a thorough evaluation by a dentist.
Treatment
There are many treatments that can save your teeth even after they've become noticeably loose. Your dentist will first take x-rays and measure the depth between the tooth and the gums with a periodontal probe. The probe measures the distance from the top of the gums to the bottom of the gum pocket next to the tooth. Healthy gum pockets are two or three millimeters deep. Depths exceeding three millimeters indicate gingivitis (early gum disease) or periodontitis (more advanced gum disease accompanied by bone loss).
Treatment options include a combination of root planing (removing the tartar and polishing the root surfaces), splinting (using materials to secure loose teeth to each other) and surgery (pulling the gums back to gain proper access to the root surfaces, re-sculpting the bone and gums, and placing several stitches to aid healing). Some general dentists perform these treatments in their offices. Others refer patients to periodontists, who are specialists concentrating on gum-related problems.
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Following a Dental Injury
A blow to a tooth may cause a tooth to be loose. If it's still properly aligned, it will generally tighten back up on its own (in days or several weeks). It's important to know that a tooth may tighten up and appear normal only to later die because the nerve and blood supply are severed. If this occurs, you may notice a gum boil (a tooth abscess that has worked its way to the surface), a toothache, darkening of the tooth, or no symptoms at all.
Treatment
Get to the dentist right away if you have an injury-related loose tooth. The tooth will need to be re-checked for a year or more to make sure that it's still healthy and has an intact nerve and blood supply. Enter your zip code in the blue box below for a dentist in your area who can see you immediately for a dental emergency due to a dental injury.
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After Braces (Orthodontics)
It's common for some teeth to be slightly loose during and after braces. In response to the pressure exerted by the brackets and wires on your teeth, special cells remove bone on one side of each tooth and build bone on the opposite side. This process allows teeth to move through bone. Until all the bone has filled back in, teeth may be noticeably loose.
Treatment
Contact your orthodontist.
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