Loose tooth

[Teawaster]

Hi, I bit into something hard on Sunday and loosened one of my bottom front teeth by maybe 1mm or slightly more.
It’s not as sensitive today and stable in movement .
I am 61 and haven’t been to the dentist since pre covid. I had some gum disease but it was being managed by regular cleaning by the hygienist and by me following their advice. Since then I probably haven’t been as good at using te pe brushes .
I have an appointment for the end of July now but am a bit worried that the tooth won’t settle back.I think I had a bit of a biting episode a while back with one of my upper teeth but it all settled down .

How long do you think it should be loose for? Most online advice says a few days but is that normally 2 or 7 ? Obviously if it was to worsen I would try for an emergency appointment but how long do you think I should wait to see if it will be ok?

 

[Dr M]

Sometimes the mobility can last for a week or more. I would advise sticking to a soft diet as much as possible until you notice that it stabilizes. It should be fine to wait until your appointment if you don't have any pain or if the mobility stays more or less the same. It is important however that the dentist examines the amount of bone around the tooth in question. It might be that the mobility might be related to the periodontitis and not to you biting into something hard.

 

[Teawaster]

Sometimes the mobility can last for a week or more. I would advise sticking to a soft diet as much as possible until you notice that it stabilizes. It should be fine to wait until your appointment if you don't have any pain or if the mobility stays more or less the same. It is important however that the dentist examines the amount of bone around the tooth in question. It might be that the mobility might be related to the periodontitis and not to you biting into something hard.

Thank you for your helpful response. I suspect that you are correct in that the bite wasn’t directly responsible for the loose tooth, although it was a very definite event. No movement before the bite and loose afterwards. Presumably it was a trigger. If that’s the case and my gums are the underlying cause , would you still expect the tooth to tighten in the next while?

 

[Dr M]

Not without any intervention. Periodontal treatment by a periodontist might be indicated in your case