Strengthening Weak Teeth

Have you ever wondered why teeth become loose? And have you observed that
in earlier times it was more common to come across people who had all their
teeth removed and replaced with a new set of artificial dentures? Fortunately, this
is on the decrease, thanks to the progress of dentistry over the years.
Teeth are anchored to the jaw bones firmly by a thin elastic tissue called the
periodontal ligament. Factors which affect the ligament and the supporting bone
can loosen the teeth resulting in mobility of varying degrees or thus weakening
the teeth. This situation may be acute, temporary and reversible, chronic, long-
standing or manageable. The former is invariable painful and may or may not
have infection while the latter may be painless and is usually accompanied with
some amount of infection. Teeth loosening in some cases may be so bad the
teeth may be exfoliated.
There are systemic, genetic and local factors which may cause mobility of teeth
and the treatment is planned after understanding all the factors involved and with
the information obtained by necessary x-rays. We may see a combination of
various aspects in a single patient.
Smoking, alcohol consumption and diabetes mellitus seem to affect people more
commonly but also included are those caused by drugs and hormonal problems.
However, the most common reason would be plain neglect and bad oral hygiene
due to lack of information and regular maintenance.
The facilities available to a dentist to manage such problems are in a wide range
but essentially boils down to the fact of removing all the plaque, tartar formations,
performing gum surgery (via laser included) where needed, removing all the
infection and thereby reducing all inflammation of the supporting structures of the
teeth.
Proper management of periodontal disease will help control and improve the
surrounding tissues and thus provide and environment to strengthen the teeth.
Synthetic bone grafting is possible in special locations to strengthen the
supporting bone and teeth. These are available in various types. Splinting teeth
together (joining them up or tying them) will strengthen them to the extent that
they are in a better position to resist masticatory forces. This will help to prolong
the life and retention of natural teeth. With splinting, smaller individual teeth will
function as one larger unit, offering better resistance to the chewing forces. There
are several methods to achieve this and each situation needs to be assessed
properly, and a proper treatment plan evolved.
No matter what sophisticated methods and plans are adopted, without proper
follow-ups, patient education and day-to-day care, the situation may relapse or
fail earlier than the expected time.
Note:
In case your teeth are weak and little loose, please used a paste of Haldi
(turmeric) and Honey to the tooth/teeth for 5 minutes before brushing them at
night before sleeping. The base will become strong and the looseness will soon
vanish.