girl flossing in the mirror

A loose tooth is no big bargain when you're a kid. Some kids fifty-fifty welcome a wobbly tooth since it means a visit from the Tooth Fairy! Merely if you lot're an adult, a loose tooth is more similar a nightmare come up truthful.

Loose teeth in adults tin can outcome from poor dental hygiene, advanced gum affliction, a facial injury, teeth grinding, or even pregnancy. There's a chance that a loose molar will tighten support, but it depends on the cause. It'south best to immediately consult your dentist if you lot're an adult with a loose tooth.

Learn how to notice a loose tooth, what causes ane, and how to fix a loose tooth.

What Does a Loose Molar Feel Like?

Loose teeth lack structural support and are in the process of detaching from the bone and glue. You might notice that a molar feels "off" and wiggly while brushing, flossing, or eating. Beyond the looseness, you may also feel bloody gums, swollen gums, and mucilage recession.

What Causes Loose Teeth in Adults?

Adult teeth should last a lifetime. If yous accept a loose molar as an adult, in that location's a articulate reason.

Gum Disease

Glue affliction is the event of continuous poor dental hygiene. If you don't brush, floss, and have routine cleanings, tartar and bacteria can build up nether your gums and cause an infection — gum affliction. Advanced gum disease can cause the gums to pull away from the teeth. Gum illness is treatable when caught early, and if your loose tooth is the result of gum affliction, there'due south a chance that information technology could tighten back up with treatment and better hygiene practices.

Injury

A fall or blow to the face is a common mode for developed teeth to chip, break, or loosen. Also, grinding or clenching teeth can vesture downwards the tissue to the signal that teeth can become loose. If your loose tooth is the result of grinding or clenching, your dentist may exist able to treat the issue with a special mouthguard before your teeth get permanently damaged.

Pregnancy

During pregnancy, changes in hormone levels can affect the periodontium — the ligaments and basic in the rima oris that support teeth and hold them in identify. Teeth can feel loose when the periodontium is affected.

Fortunately, these changes will resolve on their ain after pregnancy. Still, meet your dentist if you feel loose teeth during pregnancy and then yous can rule out other triggers, like mucilage disease.

And remember — it'southward rubber to go to the dentist while pregnant! "Preventive, diagnostic, and restorative dental treatments are safety throughout pregnancy," notes the American Dental Association.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a affliction that weakens the basic in the torso and makes information technology easier for them to break. Hip, spine, and wrist bones are afflicted nigh often past osteoporosis, only the illness tin weaken any bone in the torso.

"Research suggests a link between osteoporosis and bone loss in the jaw," reports the National Institutes of Health. The bone in the jaw supports and anchors the teeth. When the jawbone becomes less dense, tooth loss tin can occur, a common occurrence in older adults."

How to Fix an Adult Loose Tooth

Can a loose tooth be saved? Yes, just information technology depends on the reason the molar is loose.

  • If a tooth is loose because of gum affliction, it might tighten back upwardly with consistent and proper dental hygiene. A deep cleaning with a hygienist called Scaling & Root Planing is typically the best treatment selection.
  • If a molar is loose because of an injury, it likely won't tighten back up. Depending on the severity and blazon of damage to the molar, your dentist may remove information technology and replace it with a dental implant or span.
  • If a tooth is loose during pregnancy, it will tighten up after pregnancy has ended. Even so, information technology'due south a good idea to visit your dentist if a tooth is wiggly during your pregnancy to confirm the cause.
  • If a molar is loose due to osteoporosis, you have a couple of treatment options. Regenerative bone and mucilage grafting tin can assist rebuild the bone and tissue around the teeth. Once rebuilt, dental implants tin be installed to strengthen and restore your smile. Blended bonding is some other option for reshaping the teeth to hide gaps.

If you're an developed, a loose molar might exist the kickoff sign of a more significant upshot that needs to be addressed. Make an appointment to have your loose molar looked at today.