Having a tooth that moves is certainly a situation that causes great discomfort and concern: discomfort because you are not free to chew without problems, or to eat any food, even the hardest ones; worry because having a tooth that moves immediately portends its fall. But why can a moving tooth be dangerous?
The teeth are held firmly in their alveolus thanks to the periodontium, a very complex structure formed not only by the gums, but also by the alveolar bone, the numerous ligaments that compose it and the root cement.
Having a tooth that moves more than it should, or more than the limited possibility granted by its alveolus, is immediately a source of concern because it is a sign of something wrong with the gum and its structures.
So if you notice that you have a tooth that is moving, it is important to contact your dentist immediately: only he will be able to investigate the causes of dental mobility, understand what triggered it and find the best solutions so as not to make the situation worse.
In fact, neglecting a tooth that moves can be dangerous because in addition to limiting the normal actions of daily life, such as chewing and in some cases, even talking or simply smiling because it also creates problems on an aesthetic level (especially if the tooth that moves is among the anterior ones) you risk losing it due to a progressive worsening of the condition of the tooth itself.
Can a moving tooth be strengthened? Prevention and other remedies
If you have a tooth that moves, the first thought is to "block" it through some remedy that can interrupt the annoying and worrying mobility.
It is not possible to do this in the strict sense of the term and we must never forget that if you have a tooth that moves, before intervening on the tooth itself to block it, it is necessary to treat the conditions that have determined its structural weakening and the resulting mobility. So if the moving tooth is caused by inflammation of the gums, you must first act on that, otherwise you only risk seeing the situation worsen.
The first weapon that must be put in place is therefore prevention: periodic visits to your trusted dentist, cleaning and scaling operations every six months or annually in the absence of particular problems, will help prevent a tooth that moves and all the hassles associated with this. condition.
Among the remedies instead we find the curettage technique, also called root smoothing, which, acting through a deep cleaning of the gums and periodontal pockets, also eliminates the "dead" parts of root cement, favoring the formation of new healthy structures.
The curettage technique is therefore in all respects among the remedies to improve the situation of a tooth that moves, but in a certain sense it is also excellent as a prevention weapon in all those cases in which one suffers from abnormal accumulation of plaque in the gum pockets. Acting with this type of deep cleaning, in fact, you avoid inflammation of the gums and prevent the possibility of developing periodontitis and therefore also of finding yourself with a tooth that moves.
Another remedy to treat a tooth that moves is to resort, in case of periodontitis, to a conservative periodontal therapy that can limit the mobility of the tooth thus allowing to avoid a possible fall.
This is a very thorough cleaning that also cleans the subgingival pockets, eliminating plaque, tartar and bacteria, cleaning the root surfaces and thus promoting the natural regeneration of the gum tissues.
Another remedy to "block" a tooth that moves is to resort to splinting, a minimally invasive technique, which allows you to support the moving tooth through a fiberglass and composite ligature.
All remedies that can be used to solve the problem of a tooth that moves, however, must be carefully evaluated by the dentist after a thorough medical history of the patient and after having performed a series of ad hoc instrumental tests.