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Other Possible Causes of Loose Tooth

There are other causes of a loose tooth in adults, not just the result of poor oral hygiene.

Teeth Grinding

One is teeth grinding. There are some people who unconsciously grind or clench their teeth. The condition is called bruxism and it causes erosion of the enamel surface. It can be so severe as to level off most of the teeth, in particular, the lower teeth, and expose the deeper layers. Bruxism can also cause teeth to shift in their positions. In both instances, teeth can become loose in their sockets. Facial pain, jaw pain, and headaches usually accompany bruxism. 

Another cause of a loose tooth is trauma or injury to the facial area or directly to the mouth. It may be an accidental fall, vehicular accident, a sports injury, or an assault. Any of these can loosen a tooth or two and even knock them off completely. 

Any of these conditions can lead to a loose tooth. However, such a tooth or teeth can still be saved if you bring them as soon as possible to your dentist’s attention.

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Saving Your Loose Teeth at Meadow Creek Dental

If you think you might have a loose tooth in your mouth, come pay your Issaquah dentist a visit right away. The soonest your concern is attended to, the better the chances a loosen tooth can be saved.

Conditions That Can Lead to A Loose Tooth 

Losing a tooth or teeth as an adult is not the same as when you were a child.

Adult teeth are permanent and can last a lifetime, and they just don’t become loose in their sockets without a reason. But when you start to develop symptoms leading to loose teeth, you need to see your dentist who can help you understand the cause and come up with the suitable treatment. 

Possible Symptoms of a Loose Tooth

In adults, a loose tooth presents some disturbing symptoms. You can feel the tooth moving or is wobbly in its socket. It is losing its support and slowly detaching from the gum and the bone. It bothers you while you are eating or chewing, brushing or flossing. You may be experiencing other symptoms like redness of gums, swelling and bleeding gums, including gum recession.   

So what causes loose teeth in adults?

The most common cause is advanced gum disease, known as periodontitis. Bacterial infection has permeated the gums, soft tissue and bone. Gums are inflamed, reddish, painful and they bleed. It is a consequence of poor oral hygiene allowing the buildup of plaque and tartar underneath the gums. If it goes unabated, it can lead to pocket formation, gum recession, bone destruction, and loosening of the tooth in its socket. 

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For Sensitive Teeth

Treatment by applying bonding resin.

With local anesthesia, an exposed root surface can be treated by applying bonding resin to the sensitive root surfaces. 

Treatment via surgical gum graft.

A small amount of your own gum tissue is attached to the affected site that can protect an exposed root and reduce sensitivity. This is done If tooth root has lost gum tissue. 

Root canal treatment can work if other treatments fail.

This procedure removes the dental pulp with all its nerve endings. It’s considered the most successful technique for eliminating tooth sensitivity.

Proper Brushing and Flossing

Proper brushing and flossing can prevent sensitive teeth from coming back. Brush teeth twice a day with a soft-bristled toothbrush or electric toothbrush for 2 minutes, twice a day, using fluoride. Use gentle strokes, avoid vigorous brushing and harsh toothpaste.  

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Caring for Sensitive Teeth in Issaquah

If you are experiencing tooth sensitivity, see your Issaquah dentist and we’ll talk more about dentists’ recommendations and home tips.

Dentist Recommendations For Sensitive Teeth 

Having sensitive teeth can be disruptive to everyday life. People with sensitive teeth can find distress in ordinary daily activities like eating, drinking, brushing, among others. Sharp, temporary pain or discomfort can be sudden or expected even, yet nonetheless very stressful.

Sensitive teeth are typically the result of worn tooth enamel or exposed tooth roots. A cavity, a cracked or chipped tooth, a filling that’s worn out, teeth grinding, or even gum disease can cause sensitive teeth. 

It is recommended that you see your dentist when you are bothered by sensitive teeth. After your dentist has ruled out any underlying reason for that pain or discomfort, depending on the situation, you get the following recommendations. 

Desensitizing Toothpaste

Use a desensitizing toothpaste that can block pain associated with sensitive teeth. As there are many such brands in the market, ask your dentist which might best suit you. 

Apply fluoride to the affected area.

Your dentist can do the first application for you showing how to apply using a custom tray. This can reduce some of the pain and, at the same time, strengthen the tooth enamel. Ask for a prescription fluoride that you can use at home with a tray.

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Gingivitis

Your dentist will determine if you have gingivitis. During a dental exam, your gums will be probed with a small ruler, which will check for inflammation, and the depths of pockets, if any.  A normal depth is 1 to 3 millimeters. X-rays will also be ordered to check for bone loss. 

Gingivitis Treatment

For treatment, you will have to undergo deep cleaning, not just routine of oral prophylaxis. You can have one of several techniques: scaling removes tartar from above and below the gum line,   root planing smooths rough spots and removes plaque and tartar from the root surface, while lasers may remove tartar with less pain and bleeding than scaling and root planing. 

You will also be prescribed antibiotics for the inflammation, such as doxycycline to keep away enzymes, antibiotic microspheres with minocycline inserted into pockets after scaling and planing or timed-release antiseptic chips containing chlorhexidine after planing, and an  antiseptic mouthwash. If pockets are too deep, flap surgery may be advised.

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Talk to our Issaquah Dentist about Gingivitis

One must always remember that proper dental hygiene plays a role in keeping gingivitis at bay and even after, and more so, after your gingivitis treatment. Visit your Issaquah dentist for more information. 

Everything You Need to Know About Gingivitis

Gingivitis is a non-destructive, inflammatory type of periodontal disease, but untreated gingivitis can progress to periodontitis which is a more serious periodontal condition. While it is non-destructive, it doesn’t mean it cannot do you harm. It is the first sign of gum disease and highly common among the populace, infecting people of all ages. It’s because the signs and symptoms are so mild, It gets easily ignored. You wouldn’t even know you have it.  

Signs and Symptoms of Gingivitis

Signs and symptoms include swollen or puffy gums, generally not painful, dark red gums, gums that bleed easily when brushing or flossing, and bad breath. Sometimes there may already be tooth movement and sensitivity.

Plaque is the main cause of gingivitis – the buildup of food, bacteria, acids and sweets that has hardened on teeth, caused usually by poor dental hygiene. It can extend below the gumline where it is not seen. It has become so hard, only your dentist can remove it. 

There are risk factors that increase your chances for developing gingivitis. They are: smoking, crooked teeth, poor-fitting dentures, broken fillings, certain medicines, dry mouth, diabetes, pregnancy, and genetic factors.

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Possible Symptoms of Gum Infection

Healthy gums are also firm and feel snug around your teeth, not swollen, tender, or loose. Firm gums are different from a hardness in your gums. A hard area may indicate an abscess due to a bacterial infection caused by a small collection of pus. Oftentimes, it is softer than the surrounding tissue and may be painful to the touch.

If not attended to, the area can swell. It may be a gum boil, usually at the root ends; it is still an infection. Sometimes gums can lose their firmness, become wobbly, meaning its attachment is no longer snug. It is early periodontal disease when bone becomes weakened or brittle, the gums pull back from bone creating pockets for more debris to enter.

Most importantly, healthy gums don’t bleed easily. Occasionally, gums bleed because of brushing too vigorously or wearing dentures that don’t fit correctly. Bleeding gums are quite common but that doesn’t mean you should ignore them. If gums bleed frequently, it may indicate more serious conditions, including periodontitis, leukemia (cancer of the blood), thrombocytopenia (lack of platelets so that blood doesn’t coagulate), lack of vitamin C or vitamin K. You must have to visit your dentist right away.

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Concerned With Gum Health in Issaquah

Be sure to make a visit at Meadow Creek Dental in Issaquah. If you experience any changes in gum health, your Issaquah dentist and staff are welcoming and can surely help. 

Signs of Healthy and Unhealthy Gums

When you look at your gums in the mirror, say after brushing your teeth, are you noticing anything different? You wonder if your gums are not deceased. But before going to your dentist, be sure you know a few bits of information just so you are aware.

What do healthy gums look like?

Look at the color. Healthy gums are usually a light or coral shade of pink; not pale, red or white. It should be a relatively consistent shade of pink. The shade may be slightly lighter around the teeth and darker around the sides of the mouth.

Not everyone has the same shade of pink. Depending on your ethnicity, some gums may be darker or paler than others because of the presence of pigments. If gum color has changed to pale, you might consider anemia, leukoplakia (white patches on gums), oral lichen planus (web-like, raised white threads on gums), or you may be entering menopause. If gums turned white, consider the same above conditions, plus oral candidiasis or oral cancer.

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What about pain, tooth loss and dementia?

Tooth loss is not just esthetics. It leads to decreased self-confidence, disrupting the vertical dimension of the jaw, which has pathophysiological implications. It affects nutrition, manifests as TMJ disorders, headaches, and orofacial pain. There are also broader reaching implications, such as neck and back pain and negative effects on overall posture and balance. 

Especially with Alzheimer’s disease, research links neurodegenerative disorders and tooth loss. Then there’s dementia and care of the teeth, as the patient’s cognitive functions decrease, there follows the neglect of dental hygiene or substandard home care. As a preventive measure, there’s the need for proper oral health care, the need for adequate education for patients and caregivers, as well as training on the link between oral health and systemic conditions.

Then there is the Denture Debate.

We say that dentures should be removed at bedtime to prevent accelerated bone loss, gum inflammation and even aspiration pneumonia. It promotes better dental hygiene through adequate cleaning of the dentures and oral tissues. This is not to mention that the oral tissues can relax and become distressed.

However, there is an interesting caution. A study of seniors who are toothless/edentulous and who experience obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) found that when wearing complete dentures during sleep, the majority experienced an improvement in their condition. Again, there is a greater need for communication between medical and dental professionals with regard to denture-wearing seniors who experience or may be at risk for OSA. Without better communication, we risk patients being given conflicting information because of an incomplete picture of their health. 

All of these issues and interactions point to the deep need for an interprofessional approach to geriatric patient care. There is a gap in the knowledge and training for caregivers. If the links between oral, physical, psychological, and social health are not obvious to patients or the caregivers, how can we expect them to give dental hygiene the care it deserves? Additionally, caregivers may feel inadequate in providing proper dental care. There’s a need to make sure that our family-member caregivers, nursing, and elder caregiving staff feel confident to carry out these tasks.

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