Dental Health Magazine Dental Health Digital Issue | Page 43

Issue #5, March 2017
43
Although it does not happen to everyone, treatment are at risk of having their teeth teeth, which comprises of the gums and
the incidence of teeth moving apart moving apart if they do not follow the bone. This disease is caused by bacteria
because of extractions of neighboring instructions of the orthodontist. After that live in the mouth. The bacteria lives
teeth is nevertheless relatively high. the braces have been removed, quite in a soft white layer that forms on our
often the patient will need to wear an teeth called Plaque. When our brushing
appliance known as a retainer to make habits are not efficient enough to
When a tooth is removed, this results
in a space. Overtime, the opposing
tooth or the adjacent teeth may start
moving into the empty space. If more
than 1 tooth is extracted, this will result
in more movement. The movement
sure the teeth stay in position. If they remove the majority of bacterial plaque,
do not wear the retainer according gum disease develops. Initial stages
to instructions, their teeth may start of gum disease usually manifest as
moving apart. bleeding when brushing with or without
of teeth immediately adjacent to the Dental fillings which have been in the
empty space will eventually result in mouth for many years will experience
movement of the other teeth as well. In wear and tear. As the fillings are worn
the end unsightly spaces will develop down, small spaces will develop which
between teeth. can allow for small movements of teeth.
Other causes of non-disease related
movement are such as incomplete
orthodontic treatment and wear and
tear of dental fillings. Individuals who
wear braces as part of their orthodontic
This is especially true for fillings located
between teeth. Although the movement
is very slight, it may lead to situations
such as enlarged spaces between
teeth and food impaction problems.
soreness of the gums. This condition is
called Gingivitis. A bad mouth odor may
also be present. Advanced gum disease,
also known as Periodontitis, happens
when gingivitis is not treated and the
disease is allowed to progress. At this
stage the bone that holds the tooth is
slowly destroyed by toxins released by
the bacteria. As the disease progresses,
more bone is lost and teeth start to
shake. Loose teeth will start to move
apart and spaces will develop between
Movement of teeth caused by
diseases of the oral cavity teeth. Eventually, the affected teeth will
Gum disease or Periodontal disease is a very prevalent disease in Malaysia.
the most common and prevalent cause
Picture From:
http://www.buccasana.es
of disease related movement of teeth.
Gum disease is basically a disease that
affects the supporting structures of our
become extremely loose and will have to
be extracted. Gum disease has become
The last National Oral Health Survey in
Adults done on 2010 revealed that 94%
of the Malaysian adult population have
some form of gum disease. This figure
is very worrying as it represents an
increase of 4% from the previous survey
done in the year 2000. Together with
contributing factors such as uncontrolled
diabetes,
smoking,
stress
and
unhealthy lifestyle habits, gum disease
can grow to epidemic proportions.
Treatment
To correct the problem of spaces which
have developed between teeth, the
cause of the problem must be identified
and treated accordingly.
For example, if the movement of teeth
is cause by gum disease, treating and
controlling the disease is the key. Once
the disease has been treated, options to
Illustration from http://www.rydedentalcare.com.au
close the spaces can