Fix Impacted Teeth
An impacted tooth is one that has been blocked from breaking through the gums for some reason. A tooth can be fully impacted or partially impacted if it has started breaking through. In many cases, an impacted tooth causes no obvious symptoms and is only discovered with an X-ray during a routine dental exam.
When the mouth does not have adequate space for a tooth, it can become impacted. Wisdom teeth or “third molars”, which typically grow in between the ages of 17-21, are the most often impacted. Because the jaw has often ceased growing by the time wisdom teeth come in, the mouth and jaw may be too small to accommodate them. Since wisdom teeth serve no real purpose, they are typically removed if they create a problem.
Referred to as the cuspids or upper eyeteeth, the maxillary canines are the second most common teeth to become impacted. Since these teeth play a vital role in the mouth, the dentist is likely to recommend treatments that encourage eruption rather than removal.
Impacted Tooth Symptoms
While an impacted tooth may not cause symptoms, in other cases symptoms may include:
- Redness, swelling, or bleeding gums
- Bad breath
- Bad taste in the mouth
- Difficulty opening the mouth
- Pain when biting, chewing, or opening the mouth
Complications of Impacted Teeth
Because fully impacted teeth do not break through the gums, it will not be possible to clean or properly care for them. Even partially impacted teeth can be difficult to properly clean which puts them at a higher risk of decay, cavities, infection, crowding nearby teeth, and gum disease.
Treatment Options
People that suspect they have an impacted tooth should consult a dentist as quickly as possible. The dentist will examine the teeth and take X-rays to determine if the symptoms are related to an impacted tooth. If the problem is related to an impacted tooth, treatment options could include:
- Waiting and Monitoring: As previously mentioned, an impacted tooth may not cause any noticeable symptoms. In these cases, the dentist may opt to take a wait-and-see approach by regularly monitoring the situation to see if it resolves itself naturally rather than surgically removing the tooth. This is especially common with teething infants and children developing permanent (adult) teeth.
- Extraction Surgery: Should the impacted tooth lead to pain or other undesirable side effects, the dentist may recommend surgically extracting the tooth. Extraction is also often recommended if the impacted tooth will negatively affect other adjacent teeth. This is common with wisdom teeth since they tend to crowd the jaw and lead to discomfort. Extraction surgery is typically done on an outpatient basis meaning the patient can return home after the 45-60 minute procedure. Patients are administered local anesthesia to minimize pain and recovery time typically takes 7-10 days.
- Eruption Aids: Useful on impacted canine teeth, eruption aids may be useful in getting the tooth to properly erupt. Eruption aids include brackets, braces, or extracting the baby or adult teeth blocking the canine and are most effective when performed on younger patients.
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