The only way to truly know if a tooth is impacted is to either see a dentist or an oral surgeon for an X-ray. This is especially common with wisdom teeth as they often don’t grow normally.
What is an impacted tooth?
Impacted teeth mean that either the teeth become stuck under the gum or are only able to partially break through the gum. The cause for an impacted wisdom tooth is usually because the jaw doesn’t have enough space for all the teeth they are growing in. Or it can be because the tooth came out at the wrong angle, bumping into the tooth in front of it.
Impacted teeth wisdom teeth are more common than you think. Often, they are painless and rarely cause problems. However, a partially emerged tooth can trap food, plaque, and other debris. They also push on to the tooth next to them, and that tooth pushes the next and so on, creating a misaligned bite.
If your impacted teeth start bothering you, some symptoms that you are likely to experience are,
Redness and swelling of the gums around the impacted tooth
Pain or tenderness of the gums or jawbone
Unpleasant taste when biting down
Bad breath
Jaw pain
Swelling around the jaw
Difficulty opening your mouth
Risk of Having an Impacted tooth
Impacted teeth can cause several problems like,
Damaging other teeth: if your wisdom tooth pushes against the second molar, it may damage the second molar and increase the risk of having an infection in that area. The pressure also causes crowding of other teeth and might require an orthodontist to straighten out the teeth.
Impacted teeth are at a higher risk of experiencing tooth decay as they are harder to clean, and food and bacteria are easily trapped between the gum and partially erupted tooth.
While not as common, an impacted tooth can develop a cyst. A wisdom tooth develops in a sac within the jawbone. There is a risk of the sac filling with fluid, forming a cyst that ends up damaging the jawbone, teeth, and nerves. This complication can require the removal of tissue and bone.
If you’re on the lookout for experienced professionals who you can trust your teeth alignment with, contact Goldsberry Orthodontics for a consultation.
