What Should You Do If You Discover That One Of Your Adult Teeth Is Loose?

Loose teeth might be normal for a child, but can be a cause for concern for an adult. If one of your adult teeth feels loose, you might notice that it’s possible to wiggle it. You may also find a loose tooth by touching it while engaging in normal activities such as eating or drinking.

What Could Cause an Adult Tooth to Become Loose?

Adult teeth can become loose due to several different factors, which include but are not limited to:

– Injury/Trauma: Your adult teeth can become loose if an injury to your mouth causes damage to the root of the tooth as well as the surrounding gums.

– Teeth Grinding (Bruxism): Clenching or grinding puts pressure on your teeth, which makes them loose over time.

– Gum Disease (Periodontitis): It’s a severe gum infection that causes gum recession. If left untreated, periodontitis can cause loose teeth.

– Pregnancy: The hormonal imbalances experienced during pregnancy may affect the bones and ligaments in the mouth that hold teeth causing them to loosen.

– Osteoporosis (Weakening of Bones): If you have osteoporosis, your jawbone may lose its density causing teeth to become loose.

– Diabetes: If your diabetes isn’t under control, it can aggravate your gum disease, which in turn can cause loosening of teeth.

– Medication: Calcium is necessary for strong and healthy bones and teeth, but certain medications can make it difficult for the body to absorb it. Prolonged intake of such medication can weaken and loosen your teeth.

What Can You Do While Waiting to See the Dentist?

If your tooth is very loose, fractured, chipped, knocked-out, or almost falling out, you have a dental emergency and you should see your dentist within the shortest time possible. To save your tooth, it needs to be out back in its socket within no more than 2 hours.

In the meantime, you should do the following:

Avoid touching the root when picking the tooth up
Rinse the tooth in a bowl of lukewarm water
Replace the tooth in its socket facing the right way
Press down on the tooth with your thumb until the crown is level with the adjacent tooth
Bite down on a wad of cloth to stabilize the tooth until you’re seen by the dentist.

If you have a loose adult tooth, don’t panic. You can increase the odds of avoiding tooth loss or any further complications by seeking treatment immediately. Contact or schedule an appointment with a dentist if you think that you have a loose adult tooth and your smile will thank you.

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What’s The Most Painful Dental Problem?

Tooth decay, dental abscesses, displaced teeth, and loose fillings are some of the most painful dental issues.

Toothache is considered to be one of the most common dental emergencies. It can interfere with your work, sleep, and feeding schedule. If you experience a severe toothache, it is recommended that you seek emergency dental care immediately.

What’s The Most Painful Dental Problem?

There are many reasons why you may experience toothache. The pain might be temporary, going away on its own, or persistent – which may be a sign of an underlying issue. In some cases, the pain may be accompanied by swelling and bleeding in the gums.

Pain is one of the most commonly experienced symptoms of dental issues. Continue reading below to find out more about the most painful dental issue.

Displaced/Dislodged Teeth

Having your tooth knocked out of place can be quite painful. You need to see a dentist immediately if your tooth has been knocked out. It is easier for a dental professional to minimize the damage caused by a dislodged tooth by addressing the problem as soon as possible. As a rule of thumb, you should never touch the root of a tooth that has been knocked out. Simply rinse off any dirt on the tooth with water, while holding the crown. If you cannot reposition the tooth, put it in milk and head to the dentist immediately.

Tooth Decay

Tooth decay can lead to sharp, stabbing pain in the affected teeth. Tooth decay occurs when a sticky layer of bacteria, referred to as plaque, adheres to the outer layer of teeth. The bacteria release acids that can dissolve the enamel, after feeding on carbohydrates and bacteria. Continued breakdown of the enamel exposes the more sensitive layers of teeth; thus, leading to pain and elevated sensitivity to heat and cold.

Abscess

In addition to being very painful, an abscessed tooth is considered to be a serious dental emergency. An abscessed tooth is normally caused by an infection of the soft tissue inside the tooth structure. While some people may have an abscess for weeks or even months without experiencing any pain, others may find this condition to be quite painful from the start.

Your dentist will need to drain the abscess and prescribe antibiotics to fight the infection. A root canal is the most common treatment for tooth abscesses.

Gum Infection

Gum infection is another painful dental condition. An infection of the gums can lead to periodontitis. When left untreated for long, the bacteria in the infected gums can spread to the bloodstream, leading to serious heart and lung problems.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are different types of painful dental problems. The level of pain involved varies from one individual to the next. If you are concerned about any dental pain you might be experiencing, be sure to contact your dentist in Baltimore immediately.

Can Bleeding Gums Require a Call to an Emergency Dentist?

There are many things that can cause your gums to bleed. In general, bleeding gums are a sign that there is something wrong with your dental health. If your gums are itchy, change in color or start receding then this is a sign that you are at risk of gum disease and that you could lose your teeth. In the early stages, gum disease is not severe, but as the gums continue to weaken and recede they expose the root of the tooth and this is where more serious problems can start to occur.

If your gums bleed when you brush them, then this is not too much to worry about – make a point of brushing your teeth twice a day, and also flossing and using mouth rinse. Gently massage your gums with a soft tooth brush while you are brushing your teeth, and over time the health of your gums should return to normal.

If, however, your gums bleed when you eat apples or corn, or just bleed easily in general, then this is a clear sign of poor dental health and you should definitely seek immediate advice from your dentist. The health of your gums is an indication of the health of the rest of your body, and you should not ignore bleeding or soreness.

The Importance of Preventative Dental Care

Many people are scared of going to the dentists, but by putting off dental treatment until your teeth actually hurt or they are starting to wobble in your mouth, you are likely making things worse. It far better to visit early on to get advice about dental care, and to have minor protective work done, than it is to visit when the problem is serious enough to require an extraction or a root canal.

Gum Disease is Nothing to Be Ashamed Of

In some areas there is a stigma associated with gum disease, because it sounds like something that people get only if they do not take good care of their teeth. The truth is that diet, general health and even family history of the condition can affect an individual’s risk. There is no shame in having gum disease. It is better to discuss your concerns with your dentist and have the condition treated than it is to put it off until it is a serious problem.