Our teeth are held together by bone and gingiva. When plaque stays on teeth below or above the gums, undisturbed for a long time, it hardens into tartar (calculus), which is a constant irritant to the gums. The gums react to this and become infected and bleed easily. If this situation continues the gums shrink away from the tartar and with that the bone moves down as well. Thus, the teeth loose their attachment and support, they eventually become loose. This process doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a long time to get to that advanced stage. Our teeth “talk” to us. There are symptoms and signs when problems are present. We must learn to “listen” to our teeth. Having regular checkups prevents this from happening.