Braces are generally worn on patients who are around 13 – 17 years of age. These age groups are ideally chosen because, they have their best growth spurts which aid in fast movement and alignment of their teeth. So movement of teeth is a desirable sequel of any orthodontic treatment. If the tooth has to be moved, then naturally there will have to be some loosening of teeth happening. So there is nothing much to worry about when you feel that your teeth are shaking a bit during the process.

Why does my tooth loosen in the course of orthodontic treatment?

When a particular force is applied on a tooth to move it, the bone around the tooth gets removed (resorption) and then new bone gets to be formed around the tooth in the new position (deposition). The fibrous structures connecting the tooth and the bone, give way for the new bone to be formed in the new position. This new bone formation which is called as remodelling takes about 3-4 months to complete. This is what causes loosening of your tooth during the treatment. So it’s very normal and desirable. Hence it is very important to keep the force active in the desired position. That is why, it is imperative to be cautious in all your eating habits, so as not to break the braces and dismantle the forces applied. If braces are broken, this will keep prolonging the treatment.

Whenever you see new spaces being formed and there is movement of tooth happening, it is best to check with your orthodontist, who will help to explain what’s happening in the treatment at that point of time. It’s observed that in almost all cases some minimal amount of root shortening will occur on the teeth during the treatment. But this is usually not noticeable with the naked eye. Very rarely there may be noticeable root shortening. This is attributed to genetic predisposition and is usually not of much concern. The tooth can still be stable without much loosening, throughout your life time.

Importance of Oral hygiene

As the orthodontist does his part meticulously, it is very important on the patient side to take care of their oral hygiene properly. Because improper brushing and eating habits, will cause plaque accumulation on the teeth with the braces. This will cause serious gum disease, which in turn will increase the mobility of tooth more than the desired level. So following instructions of the orthodontist is very important so as to have a successful completion of treatment.

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