Tooth Impaction: Symptoms and Treatments
An impacted tooth is one that has not passed through your gumline to grow into the proper position on its own.
Instead, the tooth has remained stuck, or impacted, in your gum tissue or bone. This can easily cause issues and dental problems and other health concerns if left untreated.
There are assorted causes of impacted teeth, and several treatments for the issue. The following facts will help you understand impacted teeth and why it might be important for you to treat this condition.
Common Causes of Tooth Impaction
Teeth begin to emerge through the gums during infancy. This also happens again when the permanent teeth replace the baby teeth.
If a tooth does not come through, or emerges just partially, it is considered to be impacted. This happens most often with the wisdom teeth, or the third set of molars. They are the last teeth to erupt, usually erupting between the ages of 17 and 21.
An impacted tooth can remain stuck in gum tissue or bone for a variety of reasons. The area might be overcrowded, leaving no room for the tooth to emerge. Your jaw may be too small to accommodate the wisdom teeth. Teeth can also become tilted, twisted, or displaced as they try to emerge. This will result in impacted teeth.
Impacted wisdom teeth are common. They are quite often painless and do not cause problems. However, some dentists do believe an impacted tooth will create issues for the healthy teeth causing a misaligned bite. A partially emerged tooth can easily trap food, plaque, and other debris around it, which will lead to inflammation and tenderness of the gums resulting in gum disease. The retained debris can also lead to decay in the wisdom tooth or the neighboring teeth, or even bone loss.
Common Symptoms
There might not be any symptoms of a fully impacted tooth. Symptoms may include:
- You have constant bad breath.
- Difficulty opening the mouth.
- Pain or tenderness of the gums or jawbone.
- Prolonged headache or a jaw ache.
- Redness and swelling of the gums in the area.
- Swollen lymph nodes of the neck.
- An unpleasant taste when biting down near the area.
- A visible gap where the tooth did not emerge.
Evaluations and Tests
Your dentist will look for any swollen tissue in the area where a tooth has not emerged or has only partially emerged. The impacted tooth might be pressing on nearby teeth. The gums around the area may be showing signs of infection. Dental x-rays will confirm the presence of one or more teeth that have not emerged.
Impacted Teeth Treatment
Treatment may be needed if an impacted wisdom tooth is not causing problems. If the impacted tooth is towards the front of your mouth, braces might be recommended to help coax the tooth into the proper position.
Over-the-counter pain relievers can help if the impacted tooth is causing discomfort. Warm saltwater or over-the-counter mouthwashes may be soothing to the gums.
Removal of the tooth is the common treatment for an impacted wisdom tooth. This is performed by your dental team. Antibiotics may be prescribed before the extraction if the tooth is infected.