Urgent assessment
We grade the mobility, test the nerve, probe the gum, check the bite and X-ray the root and bone. For injuries this happens at the first available slot, since the timing affects the outcome.
About this treatmentDental condition · Wimpole Street, Marylebone
Loose tooth in an adult: why it always needs checking, and when it is an emergency
Adult teeth are held in their sockets by a ligament that allows a fraction of a millimetre of give, which is why you can feel a tooth flex very slightly under firm pressure. Anything more than that is abnormal. A tooth you can visibly wobble with a finger, or that shifts when you bite, has lost some of its support, and the reason falls into one of a few categories: bone destroyed by gum disease, ligament torn by a blow, infection at the root, or overload from grinding or a high bite. Two of these are slow and two can be sudden. The distinction matters because the response is different. A tooth knocked loose an hour ago has a good chance of being saved if it is repositioned and splinted promptly; the same tooth left for a week may not. A tooth loosening over months from periodontitis needs a full assessment of the gums rather than an emergency visit. At Wimpole Street we take any mobile adult tooth seriously and see it quickly, because the window for keeping it is often narrower than people expect.
Recognising it
How it usually feels
Movement you can see or feel with your finger or tongue
Beyond the normal fraction of a millimetre; the supporting ligament or bone has been compromised.
A tooth that has been knocked and now sits at a different angle
Displacement within the socket after trauma; time-critical.
Bleeding from the gum around the tooth after an impact
The ligament and small vessels around the root have torn.
A tooth that has drifted or created a new gap
Gradual bone loss letting it migrate under everyday forces.
Swelling, pus or a foul taste beside the tooth
Infection destroying supporting tissue around the root.
Behind the symptoms
What's going on
- 01
Advanced gum disease
Periodontitis silently dissolves the bone around the roots over years. By the time a tooth wobbles, more than half its support may be gone. It is the commonest reason adult teeth become mobile, and it usually affects several teeth to varying degrees rather than one in isolation.
- 02
Trauma
A fall, a sports collision, a cycling accident or a punch can stretch or tear the ligament, fracture the root or push the tooth partly out of its socket. Even a tooth that looks fine after a knock may have damage that shows up as looseness, darkening or an abscess months later.
- 03
Infection at the root
An abscess from a dead nerve or a deep periodontal pocket produces pressure and destroys bone locally. The tooth becomes loose and tender to bite on, and often tightens again once the infection is drained and treated.
- 04
Grinding and a heavy bite
Sustained overload stretches the ligament and can widen the socket, making a tooth mobile even when the bone is healthy. A single high filling or crown can do the same to one tooth.
- 05
Cysts, tumours and medical conditions
Rarely, a loose tooth with no obvious dental cause reflects a growth in the jaw, a bone disorder or a systemic condition. Unexplained mobility, especially with numbness or swelling, is investigated with imaging without delay.
Before your appointment
What you can do today
- After an injury, gently push a displaced tooth back towards its normal position with clean fingers if it moves easily, then bite softly on a folded clean cloth to hold it and get to a dentist immediately.
- If a tooth has been knocked out completely, hold it by the crown, rinse briefly if dirty, and replace it in the socket or keep it in milk; every minute counts.
- Do not wiggle or test a loose tooth repeatedly; each movement damages the ligament fibres that are trying to reattach.
- Take pain relief as directed on the pack and, if there is swelling or fever, seek an appointment today rather than tomorrow.
These are holding measures, not a substitute for an examination. Use any pain relief exactly as directed on the pack and check with a pharmacist if you take other medicines.
In the chair
How we treat it at Wimpole Street
Repositioning and splinting
A displaced or traumatised tooth is guided back into position and bonded to its neighbours with a thin flexible wire for two to four weeks while the ligament heals.
About this treatmentPeriodontal treatment
Where gum disease is the cause, the pockets around the affected teeth are thoroughly cleaned under anaesthetic and a maintenance programme is set up. Mobility often reduces as inflammation settles, though lost bone does not return.
About this treatmentTreating infection
An abscess is drained and the source treated, by root canal treatment if the nerve has died or by pocket cleaning if it is periodontal. Teeth loosened by infection frequently firm up afterwards.
About this treatmentExtraction and replacement
A tooth with too little bone, a root fractured along its length or one that cannot be stabilised is removed, and an implant, bridge or denture is planned once the site heals.
About this treatmentFees
Costs to expect
An emergency assessment at Wimpole Street, with X-rays, is expected to be around £95. Splinting a traumatised tooth is quoted at the visit and depends on how many teeth are involved. Where gum disease is the cause, a course of periodontal treatment is indicative from £850, with supportive hygiene visits from £89 afterwards.
Root canal treatment for an infected tooth is around £695 for a front tooth or £895 for a molar. A night guard is £795. If the tooth cannot be saved, extraction is from £250 and replacement with an implant and crown from £2,950, a bridge from £995 per unit, or a partial denture from £795. We give you the prognosis honestly so that money is not spent on a tooth that is unlikely to be kept.
Figures are indicative prices for Wimpole Street and are confirmed in a written plan once a dentist has examined you. Fees match our South Kensington and St Paul's clinics.
Don't wait if
When to see a dentist
- Any adult tooth that moves noticeably, whatever the cause.
- A tooth knocked in an accident, even if it does not hurt and looks straight.
- Looseness with swelling, pus, fever or a bad taste.
- Several teeth that feel slightly mobile, especially with bleeding gums.
FAQ
Common questions
For a tooth that has been displaced or knocked out, the first hour makes the biggest difference and the first day matters greatly; beyond that, the ligament cells needed for reattachment die off. For a tooth that is loose but in position, being seen before the day is out is still the aim. Go to whichever of our clinics can see you first.
After trauma, usually yes, provided the root is not fractured and the tooth is splinted within a day or so. The splint is flexible so that the ligament heals under gentle function rather than rigidly, and it is removed after two to four weeks. The nerve is checked at intervals afterwards, since it may still die and need root treatment later.
Often, if enough bone remains and the disease is brought under control. Mobility tends to reduce once the inflammation settles, and teeth with moderate looseness can last many years with maintenance. Teeth that are very mobile, or that have lost most of their bone, have a poor outlook and we will say so rather than treat them indefinitely.
Because the inflamed or torn ligament around the root is being compressed. A tooth that is sore to bite on and mobile is a sign that the socket is inflamed, whether from infection, injury or overload, and it should not be used for chewing until the cause has been addressed.
Marylebone, W1
Wimpole Street opens 1 October 2026
Leave your details and we will be in touch when the Marylebone diary opens. If the problem cannot wait, the same clinicians are already seeing patients in South Kensington and at St Paul's.
Related conditions
Opening 1 October 2026
Wimpole Street is not yet seeing patients. Until then, please book or call our South Kensington clinic on 020 7183 2362 or our St Paul's clinic on 020 7183 3709. Questions about the new clinic: wimpolestreet@md.co.uk.
Until we open
Need an appointment before 1 October 2026?
The same clinical team already works from two other Medical & Dental clinics. Book at either one now and, if you prefer, move your ongoing care to Wimpole Street once the doors open.
South Kensington
- 20 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3DL
- Open seven days a week
- 020 7183 2362
St Paul's, City of London
- 5 Ave Maria Lane, London EC4M 7AQ
- Open Monday to Friday
- 020 7183 3709
