Millions of Americans suffer from tooth loss, which can negatively impact multiple facets of your daily life. A dentist can offer effective tooth replacement treatment, but ideally, you should preserve your natural dental structure as well as you can.
You can lower your risk of tooth loss by knowing what issues can lead to this permanent damage to your smile. Understanding the progression of these dental problems can encourage you to seek dental treatment without hesitation when needed. Read on to learn about three dental problems that may cause teeth to fall out without urgent care from your dentist.
Which Dental Concerns May Lead to Tooth Loss?
Advanced Gum Disease
The leading cause of tooth loss is periodontitis, the advanced stage of gum disease. Gum disease refers to an infection in the gum tissue. It often begins with inflammation in the gums, but as the infection spreads, it starts to eat away at the teeth and the jawbone.
This results in severe and irreversible dental damage that may cause a tooth to fall out. You will need treatment from a dentist to get rid of gum disease. So do not hesitate to tell your dentist about any symptoms you notice in your gums. The disease is easier to treat when diagnosed early.
The dentist will use a thorough cleaning method called scaling and root planing to clear away excess bacteria to eradicate the infection. They may also use laser technology to target and remove damage to the gums. More severe cases might need surgery to restore diseased gum tissue.
Severe Tooth Decay
Most people get a cavity at some point in their lives, which is an early phase of tooth decay. Tooth decay occurs when bacteria eat away at the enamel, or outer layer of the tooth.
Your dentist can treat cavities by drilling away the decayed part of the tooth and using composite resin to fill the resulting hole, restoring the tooth’s shape and providing protection for the now vulnerable part of the tooth. But if you do not treat a cavity promptly, it will spread deeper into the tooth, causing enough damage that it may fall out.
A dentist can treat advanced tooth decay in a similar way. But when a filling is not enough to cover a larger section of the tooth, your dentist might use a dental crown to restore it instead. Earlier treatment of a cavity can preserve more of your dental structure, so do not delay this dental work.
Impact Trauma to the Face
Sometimes a tooth can dislodge accidentally for an acute reason, like a blow to the face. This impact trauma can disrupt the tooth and gums enough to knock it out of the mouth. If this occurs, your dentist might be able to save it and put it back in your smile.
Call your dentist for an emergency appointment as soon as you can. Earlier evaluation from a dentist will increase the likelihood of restoring this tooth. Handle the tooth gently and place it back in its socket if possible. If not, store it submerged in spit in an easy-to-carry container.