While you can’t take any steps to prevent impacted wisdom teeth, there are treatment options for you to have a healthy mouth without those third sets of molars.  Whereas most teeth have a designated place in the mouth and they can come in without complication, many people do not have the option to allow their wisdom teeth to erupt through the gums.  Often times, people do not have enough physical space in their mouth for those teeth and need to address them before the teeth try to move others in the mouth or even cause bite problems.

When the teeth are impacted or located below the gums or even jaw bone, the teeth may not pose any threat or issue to you.  But the teeth are still in your mouth and need dental care which is difficult to provide.  You may not have any current issues from your impacted wisdom teeth, but most dentist suggest removing them before they become problematic or infected.   You may not notice your wisdom teeth until you start to experience:

• Jaw pain
• Tenderness or bleeding of your gums
• Pain or difficulty opening your mouth
• Bad breath
• Swollen gums or jaw

If you start to experience these symptoms regularly, you may want to make an appointment with the dentist for a wisdom tooth extraction consultation.  The dentist will need to take some x-rays or images of your jaw, if there are not up to date images already available of you jaw.

When your wisdom teeth are labelled impacted, it’s the dentist’s way of telling you that the teeth are trapped in your gums or below your jaw bone and do not have enough room to erupt into your mouth the way the rest of your teeth have.  Impacted wisdom teeth are more likely to grow in at angles toward the back of the mouth, towards other teeth or even at right angles to other teeth.

Before your impacted wisdom teeth cause you problems, be sure to talk to the dentist about extraction. Some problems can include:

• Decay of partially impacted teeth because they are more difficult to clean and to keep free from tartar and plaque buildup.
• Cysts can form as fluid filled sacs causing damage to the tissues around the sacs.  Bone, teeth and nerves can suffer from cysts.
• Damage to other teeth can result from the pressure of the wisdom teeth on surrounding teeth below the gumline.  It can even cause the need for orthodontic intervention to improve the tooth spacing and your bite.
• Gum disease can result from the partially impacted teeth that are difficult to clean. The bacteria from the plaque can infect and inflame the surrounding gum tissue.

All of these more serious symptoms can be resolved and improved from wisdom tooth extraction,  Be sure to talk the dentist about all your treatment plan options and the continued care for the various options. If you are ready to take the step towards a healthier mouth, then you may want to consider wisdom tooth extraction for your impacted wisdom teeth.

More on Wisdom Teeth : Smoking After Wisdom Teeth Extraction