Fix a Loose Tooth in Harrisonburg, VA
Dr. Batchelor explains the causes of a loose tooth and what to do!
Have a loose tooth?
When you’re young, a loose baby tooth is an exciting right of passage. As an adult, a wiggly tooth is a problem — seek help right away.
Call our Harrisonburg office at (540) 432-9992 and I’ll see you soon.
At your appointment, I’ll conduct a careful examination to determine why your tooth has lost stability and how we can keep it from falling out.
We can also provide advice on how to keep your tooth safe in the meantime — call now!
What causes a loose tooth?
An adult tooth is meant to last a lifetime, but life sometimes has other plans! See some of the most common reasons why your tooth is loose.
Gum Disease
Gum disease is the most common cause of loose teeth. Also called periodontal disease, this issue causes your gums to become inflamed and bleed. As the disease advances, it will break down the bone and tissue supporting the teeth, causing your teeth to feel loose. If not addressed, you risk losing the tooth completely.
Impact Injury
Teeth often become loose as a result of an impact injury, like a car accident, sports injury, or fall.
Pregnancy
If you’re pregnant, loose teeth can be normal. Increased hormone levels often affect the bones and tissues in your mouth. This usually resolves after pregnancy.
Clenching & Grinding
Clenching and grinding your teeth at night can slowly start to stretch your gums and cause your teeth to feel loose.
How to Fix a Loose Tooth
The right treatment depends on the cause of your loose tooth. However, fixing a loose tooth often involves:
1. Treating the gum disease
Your dentist may bring the gum infection under control by removing bacteria, plaque, and calculus through a deep cleaning, stabilizing your gums with a soft tissue or bone graft, or other gum therapy.
2. Splinting your tooth
Your dentist may recommend stabilizing your tooth to keep it from moving while it heals. This may involve bonding a splinting material across the back surfaces of your tooth.
3. Replacing your tooth
It’s possible that the best solution for your smile and health may be to remove the tooth and replace it.
Is a loose tooth an emergency?
If your tooth becomes loose as the result of an impact injury to the face, it should be treated as a critical issue that requires an emergency visit to the dentist or ER. If you’ve been noticing your tooth getting loose slowly over time — while still important that you seek help as soon as you can — you don’t need to treat it as an emergency.
Can a loose tooth tighten back up?
Without professional dental attention, a loose tooth will almost always eventually fall out. However, by seeing a dentist about your loose tooth, it may be possible to “tighten up” and save the tooth long term.
How do you help a child with a loose tooth?
As long as your child’s loose tooth is a baby tooth (not a permanent adult tooth), it’s okay to encourage them to use their tongue to wiggle, loosen, and remove the tooth! In most cases, the tooth will come out naturally while eating or as a result of your child moving it with their tongue. If the loose tooth is bothering your child, try this:
Ask them to avoid touching the tooth with their fingers
Wash your hands thoroughly
Using a fresh gauze pad, softly pull the tooth out, using your fingers
Don’t forget about the tooth fairy!
What Patients Say
“Dr. Batchelor and her team are fantastic! They provide the highest quality professional service with gentleness and care. My initial visit to their Harrisonburg dental practice was extremely thorough...They accommodate my challenging schedule and work with my insurance company...I am thrilled with the service and give them the highest recommendation!!”
Our Office
1920 Medical Ave Ste J
Harrisonburg, VA 22801
Get directions
Phone: (540) 432-9992
Hours: Monday-Thursday 8am - 5pm