What to do About Loose Front Teeth

Loose teeth in children are normal and very cute when they lose them. However in adults, loose front teeth are a sign that something is seriously wrong with their dental health. In order to take care of the problem, you are going to have to break down and make that long over due dentist appointment. It's either that or continue to deal with the pain and discomfort when you chew or put your teeth together. Eventually you will be seeking the help of a dentist anyway when your tooth falls out and you are sporting the look of a six year old with a missing front tooth. It's cute on them, not so much on you.

The leading cause of loose teeth in adults is gum disease. Advanced gum disease is responsible for more problems and dental bills than any other dental problems combined. Halitosis, bleeding gums, and receding gums are just a few of the fun things you can encounter with gum disease. Sure you can use a bad breath toothpaste to cover the odor, but the underlying problem is still there wreaking havoc on your teeth and gums. In its most severe stages, gum disease causes many people to lose their teeth. Reversing gum disease is the only way to stop this threat. If gum disease is making your front teeth loose, there are a couple of things the dentist can do to help.

• scaling and root planting
• splinting

Scaling and root planting is a procedure that involves removing all damaged areas from the gums and tooth. Any left over bacteria will result in a reoccurrence of the disease and you will be right back where you started. So dentists are very careful to get all of the infection the first time around. Once the infection is gone, the dentist then smoothes out any rough spots on the teeth. Over time, the gums reattach firmly and the loose front tooth is saved and healthy.

If for some reason, scaling and root planting doesn't work or isn't an option, your dentist will probably suggest splinting. Just like with a broken or damaged bone, splinting is the process of reinforcing the damaged tooth. A thin steel wire is used to attach the loose tooth to a neighboring healthy tooth. The result is a more firm fit of the teeth and eliminating the need to extract the damaged tooth.

There are ways to correct loose front teeth. Your dentist will help you decide the best course of action for you. In the meantime consider using OraMD® for your oral cleaning needs. Once you tighten loose teeth, the risk of losing them is seriously decreased.