Loosening - Periodontal disorders

The disruptive forces exerted by a dysfunctional tongue can cause stress on the dental alveoli and thus induce gum infections that can lead to the melting of the jawbone and tooth loosening.

Description

When the tongue works properly, the teeth are positioned correctly on the mandible (lower jaw) and maxilla, balancing the forces exerted by the tongue outwards and the lips and cheeks inwards. When these forces are balanced, the teeth remain in place. On the other hand, when these forces are unbalanced or inconsistent, the teeth will be subjected to micro-pressure alternately inwards and outwards… which favours the progressive enlargement of the alveolus in which the root of the tooth enchants itself. Bacteria will then enter the space created around the root, disrupting the (normally perpetual) renewal of the bone and causing bone loss. The root of the tooth then gradually becomes apparent, it is the loosening. In the absence of bone in which the teeth anchor and with the loss of bone root ligaments, the teeth eventually fall out.

A dysfunctional tongue can thus, through the forces it exerts towards the outside of the mouth, lead to the loosening of the teeth.

Like any joint, teeth are most of the time in motion. All systems that prevent these micromovements of the teeth with their bone (support wire, gutters…) can lead to a risk of loosening in the more or less long term.

Treatment

Loosening is first treated with dental hygiene care: scaling, disinfection. The restoration of a good dental balance (orthodontics, occlusodontics…) combined with lingual reeducation makes it possible to rebalance the forces exerted on the teeth and thus prevent certain cases of loosening.