The internet has saturated people with many funny stories with videos that depict a lot of bloopers. Have you ever found yourself laughing over one with a party host running after his jumping denture? Or that little child on Santa’s lap fishing out his false teeth right from his mouth? How about a loose tooth falling off as one laughs incessantly?
Having a loose tooth is like guarding your most kept secret. Every speaking and eating moment signals the mind to be vigilant as it could fall off with one wrong bite. This scenario would most likely be possible in children and people whose most recent dental appointment was some fifteen years ago.
Rotten teeth in children are very much probable especially when the permanent teeth are about to come out. In the case of adults, their sets would remain intact with proper oral hygiene and regular visits to their dentists. A loose tooth only becomes possible if severe gum and periodontal disease has invaded one’s oral cavity.
Dealing with an extremely mobile tooth might necessitate extraction – as there is nowhere else to go. It’s like a dangling earring that needs to be removed. However, one that is not as loose may still be saved by stabilizing components. An orthodontic wire may be instrumental in stabilizing a loose tooth. With the aid of the restorative light cure filling, the wire could be cemented onto the mobile specimen with the adjacent stable teeth on both sides as anchors.
On the other hand, there is a downside to this procedure as well. Since the cause may be attributed to periodontal disease, this would mean a compromised state of its supporting structures, the periodontal ligaments. Their “health” may not be restored and the stabilization process will ultimately cause a permanent adherence of the tooth to bone, which is a case of ankylosis.
In easy speak, it’s like the once loose tooth has been permanently bonded or glued into the bony socket. The wire and cementation facilitates immobility, thereby allowing the tooth to be saved – but ankylosed. Ankylosis then becomes a problem if and when extraction shall be necessary.
If in case the loose tooth has been the result of an accident, say, a sports injury, and gets avulsed or totally dislodged, it may still be replaced using the above stated procedure. However, time is of the essence in this case. It should be put back within 20 minutes or the procedure will not be a success.
The loose tooth may be placed in a saline solution, milk or placed under the tongue. This is to maintain the pH of the ruptured ligaments and preserve their best possible condition prior to replacement. As expected, the tooth will still be ankylosed to the socket, but a healthy periodontal state may still render an incomplete ankylosis, allowing the tooth to be under a state of semi normalcy in terms of natural mobility.
So, for sports buffs, to avoid this loose tooth scenario, better visit your dentist and ask about mouth guards. While this is not a very common occurrence, it could still happen anytime. As they say, prevention is key.
If you need an effective solution for a Toothache? Click Here!
DentalPlans.com - Choose from over 30 top-quality national and regional discount dental plans.
