May 15, 2021
Wisdom teeth don’t seem to live up to their name. Aside from the fact that they haven’t serve any purpose for thousands of years, these third set of molars can often be downright stupid, growing out of their supposed position or worse, growing impacted.
They’re usually hard to deal with. But, it’s important to get to know more about these teeth, especially if they are impacted. To help you know what to do in case you have one, here are some pieces of information that might come in handy.
What is an impacted wisdom tooth?
An impacted wisdom tooth is one of the third molars that grow at the back of your mouth usually between the ages of 17 and 21. In some cases, according to Newstead Dental Co, they don’t grow in the right position they should be in. This is usually because they don’t have enough room to develop normally.
For that reason, they get impacted. Sometimes they get stuck beneath your gums or don’t fully come into the mouth. You’re lucky if they cause no apparent problem or immediate problems. However, some patients may suffer from pain and discomfort that require them to go to their dentist fast.
There are different types of impactions: horizontal, vertical, angular impactions, and partial eruptions. And it’s important to know them as it will help with finding the right solutions for it.
Horizontal Impaction
Horizontal impactions are a type of full impaction. Here, the tooth lies completely horizontally underneath the gums; hence the name. Unfortunately, instead of moving up through your gums, this impacted tooth will move sideways.
Once it moves sideways, it can push the nearby teeth. Over time, they might overlap, which can become harder to clean. Plus, they can also impact how your jaw looks, especially if it’s pushing your lower teeth.
Vertical Impaction
Vertical impactions, on the other hand, are also a type of full impaction. However, what makes it different from horizontal is that it is in the correct position for eruption. But, the problem is, it still lies below your gums.
Sometimes, it develops too close to its neighboring teeth, which causes it to stop from coming into the mouth. And like horizontal impactions, it can also cause too much pressure on the nearby teeth.
Angular Impaction
Angular impactions, also known as mesial impactions, are the usual occurring type. When you have this, your tooth grows at an angle, hence the name. And because it’s angled, it doesn’t erupt.
The good news is that in most cases, it doesn’t cause issues. However, it should be closely monitored as it’s harder to clean. So, over time, problems may occur and they may decay. Or worse, it might affect its neighboring tooth too.
Partial Impactions
Meanwhile, partial impactions are a form of angular impaction. What makes it different is that the tooth has pushed through the gums. Hence, a part of it has already erupted. However, it is stopped due to its proximity to its neighboring teeth.
How to know if you have impacted wisdom teeth?
Depending on its type, an impacted wisdom tooth may show signs and symptoms. Usually, you’ll know that you have an impacted wisdom tooth if you see the presence of a tooth that looks like a baby tooth.
But, if you’re unlucky, you may feel discomfort in the area where your tooth lies. Sometimes, you may feel pain or tenderness on the gums, especially if it hasn’t fully erupted. Swelling and redness of the gums are common too.
In some cases, your impacted tooth may cause prolonged headaches. They can affect your jaw too, making it difficult to open your mouth.
However, these signs and symptoms won’t be able to tell what kind of impacted wisdom tooth you have. The only thing that will help your dentist assess it is a panoramic x-ray or a Cone Beam CT. These two will clearly show the position of your wisdom tooth even if it hasn’t erupted yet.
What causes it?
In general, impacted wisdom teeth are caused by the lack of space for them to grow. If your teeth are already crowded, your wisdom teeth will not be able to grow into your mouth. But, sometimes, they seem to just decide to grow at the wrong angle.
What should be done?
There aren’t many options to deal with impacted wisdom teeth. Even so, they’re effective.
Sometimes, an impacted wisdom tooth can be solved by merely wearing braces. A bracket and chain will be placed on your tooth, which will guide it in the right direction. They will help reposition your teeth to make room for your impacted tooth.
This process will take some time, though. But, it’s less scary, for most patients.
But, in many cases, impacted wisdom teeth require extraction. Your dentist may remove an already erupted tooth to make way for your wisdom tooth. This way, it will not affect its neighboring teeth anymore and further issues are kept at bay.
If your impacted wisdom tooth hasn’t come out yet, your dentist will need to make an incision in your gum tissue to expose your bone and impacted tooth. Then, they will remove that bone, which blocks access to your tooth root. They will have to divide your wisdom tooth into sections so it's easier to remove.
But, don’t worry, this kind of surgery will only take between 30 and 60 minutes, depending on how deep your tooth is buried within your jawbone and gums. And you’ll be under anesthesia, of course. And your dentist will help you to know more about aftercare.
Do note, though, that the treatment for your impacted wisdom tooth depends on a case to cases basis as some don’t require extraction.
Wisdom teeth sometimes aren’t as smart as they should be. Most of the time, they grow in a different direction and even wreak havoc on their neighboring teeth, which can be a huge hassle over time, affecting even the symmetry of your face. Hence, it’s vital to get to know them and how they should be dealt with.