What Causes Loose Teeth?

By far the most common cause of loose teeth is gum disease. This can be characterised by loss of bone around the teeth. This usually occurs over a prolonged period but the bone loss can be acute, severe and occur over a much shorter period. For more information about gum disease please visit our gum disease page

Teeth can also feel loose because of the way you are biting together. If the front teeth are taking more of the loading and forces in your mouth, this can cause these teeth to feel looser. If you are missing teeth and the remaining teeth are taking more of the load this can cause the teeth to feel loose. If you are concerned about missing teeth please, read more information about how we can replace missing teeth with implants and how gaps can be restored here. Missing teeth can cause teeth to drift or tilt into the gap, which can lead to looseness of the affected tooth.

Sometimes teeth can feel loose, especially in the lower front area. This is often nothing to be concerned about and is because of the width of bone in this area is at its narrowest. It can also be caused as a result of minor periodontal disease, and by having short roots. This can only be assessed by taking x-rays and having a proper examination. You should not take any risks if you have loose teeth and make an appointment with your dentist immediately.