If You Don't Remove Impacted Teeth
Consider that your dentist has just informed you that your wisdom teeth are impacted and should be removed. Impacted means the tooth has not come in, or erupted as expected, or is coming in at the wrong angle, or is even being blocked from erupting.
You do not want to have the oral surgery, so you keep postponing it. You have made it this far, and some people never have their wisdom teeth removed. How bad can it really be if you do not have your impacted teeth removed.
Leaving impacted teeth can develop serious consequences. Your dentist sees impacted teeth frequently and knows the damage they can cause if left. Here are just a few examples of what can happen if you do not remove an impacted tooth.
Overcrowding and Damage to Other Teeth
An impacted tooth that is not removed can crowd your other teeth, causing them to shift. This crowding can reverse any orthodontic work already completed and necessitate more corrective alignment. This is especially a problem if your jaw is on the smaller side.
Impacted teeth can also erupt at various angles, causing additional damage and requiring more treatment.
Decay
Partially impacted teeth are much harder to clean than normal healthy teeth because they are usually so far back in your mouth. This allows more food and bacteria to become trapped in the impacted teeth, which will lead to chronic bad breath, decay, and cavities.
Gum Disease
The challenge of cleaning impacted teeth can also result in gum disease, which will cause pain and swelling around the tooth, including your jaw and cheeks.
Cysts
Wisdom teeth can cause a sac to develop that will fill with fluid, forming a cyst. The cyst can cause damage to your nerves, teeth, and jawbone. It can even develop into a noncancerous tumor that has to be removed.
Impacted teeth left in place can result in complications more difficult to treat than simply having the teeth removed. If you develop an infection, for example, it can spread into the rest of your body.
Your best choice is to have any impacted teeth removed as soon as your dentist recommends the procedure. Call the office to schedule an evaluation and a discussion regarding a solution.
Your Outlook
Your impacted teeth may cause you no problems and may not need treatment. Any treatment is most successful when the tooth does cause symptoms. It’s a decision about minimizing risk.
Having your wisdom teeth removed at an earlier age has better results than waiting until you are older. This is because the roots have not fully developed, making it easier to both remove the tooth and to heal better. As you age, the roots become longer, curved, more rigid, and complications can develop.
Possible Complications if Impacted Teeth are Not Removed
Complications of an impacted tooth can include:
- An abscess of the tooth or the gum area.
- Damaging plaque buildup between teeth and gums.
- A chronic discomfort in your mouth.
- An infection.
- Malocclusion, or poor alignment, of the teeth.
- Periodontal disease, or gum disease.
- Nerve damage if the impacted tooth is near a nerve in the jaw.