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By Lucy Notarantonio and Jonathan Peralta
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I was committed to wearing my retainers after Invisalign treatment. While I'm only human and occasionally forgot, for the best part of a year I wore them religiously to keep my teeth straight.
Despite that, I started noticing something wasn't right. My teeth were slowly beginning to separate, and they felt loose. At first, I assumed I hadn't been consistent enough with my retainers or that I'd somehow done something wrong. As the gaps got bigger, I kept trying to wear my retainers anyway.
Sometimes I even had to almost force them onto my teeth because they no longer fit the way they used to.
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I booked an appointment with my dentist because I thought I might need Invisalign again. I assumed the gaps could simply be closed with more orthodontic treatment.
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Instead, I received news that would completely change my life.
After a thorough evaluation, I was told I had severe bone loss caused by advanced periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is a serious form of gum disease that damages the tissues and bone supporting the teeth and can eventually lead to tooth loss.
It affects around 42 percent of adults aged 30 and older, but I never imagined it was something that could happen to someone my age.
One specialist told me I had the amount of bone loss they would typically expect to see in someone around 65 years old, not someone in their twenties.
Before that appointment, I didn't even know what periodontal disease was. I had no idea it existed, let alone that it could become so serious.
My teeth were becoming loose because the disease had destroyed the bone supporting them. As more bone was lost, my teeth became less stable. Periodontal disease doesn't just affect one tooth. It attacks the gums and bone that support all of them, and when it's advanced throughout the mouth, it can compromise many or even every tooth.
By the time I was diagnosed, the damage was extensive.
Only one tooth actually fell out on its own, my right lateral incisor, the tooth next to my front tooth. The rest didn't fall out naturally, but the disease had caused such severe bone loss throughout my mouth that my dental team determined they couldn't be saved.
I had to have all of my remaining teeth extracted and replaced with full-mouth dental implants.
It was devastating. At 25 years old, I never imagined I would lose my teeth.
My confidence dropped to the lowest point it had ever been. I became extremely self-conscious about smiling, talking to people and even looking at myself. It affected my self-esteem and mental health in ways I never expected.
Hearing that I had the amount of bone loss usually seen in someone in their sixties was incredibly shocking. I couldn't believe it was happening to me at such a young age. At the time, it honestly felt like my world was falling apart.
Looking back now, I'm grateful I went through it because it gave me a platform to educate people. I have connected with others who are facing similar struggles or who had never heard of periodontal disease before.
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But during the worst of it, I felt scared, embarrassed and completely overwhelmed.
Today, I've completed the healing process and now have my permanent full-mouth dental implants and permanent teeth. Being able to smile confidently again has completely changed my life.
Losing my teeth at 25 was something I never thought I'd experience, but sharing my story has shown me how important awareness is.
If talking about what happened to me helps even one person recognize the signs of gum disease early, whether that's bleeding gums, red or swollen gums, receding gums, loose teeth, or gaps appearing where there weren't any before, and seek treatment before it progresses, then something positive has come from one of the hardest experiences of my life.
Jonathan Peralta Jr., 25, is a special education teacher from New Jersey who has shared his journey on TikTok (@.just.jp), documenting the highs and lows of adjusting to life both with and without teeth.
Reference
Wang, Y., Zhao, X., Yu, Y., Wang, Y., Zhao, X. and Yu, Y. (2025). The burden of severe periodontitis in the United States. The Journal of the American Dental Association. [online] doi:10.1016/j.adaj.2025.09.015.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Charlotte Nisbet and Emma Lee-Sang
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