An impacted tooth is a tooth that failed to properly erupt into the mouth. If your tooth is partly impacted, it may have started to break through the gum at an odd angle, threatening to damage the teeth next to it and creating areas that trap bacteria and are difficult to clean. If your tooth is fully impacted, it may remain inside your gums long past the time when it should have erupted. While any tooth can be impacted, the most commonly impacted teeth are the wisdom teeth. These third molars are biologically scheduled to erupt in early adulthood, but by that time, there often isn’t room for more teeth, preventing the teeth from erupting properly, if they emerge through the gums at all. If your dentist has diagnosed you with impacted wisdom teeth and recommended that you have these teeth removed, they’ll address the risks that arise when treatment is delayed, consulting with you and your oral surgeon to plan and review your treatment.
In some cases, impacted teeth don’t lead to any issues, though the only way to confirm the continued health of the teeth and oral cavity is with routine dental examinations and regular x-rays. When impacted teeth do cause problems, these problems can range from annoying, to uncomfortable, to downright catastrophic. All teeth are alive, and impacted teeth continue to try to grow; it’s their job to emerge. When teeth emerge into an already-crowded row of teeth, they crowd the teeth even more, causing them to overlap and move out of alignment. Previous orthodontic improvements are destroyed, and additional orthodontia is needed; this risk is heightened in patients who have smaller mouths. When teeth try to emerge at uneven or crooked angles, they can grow into the teeth next to them, pressing on these teeth and damaging their roots, heightening the likelihood of tooth decay and dental abscess. All of these impactions can also cause pain or discomfort in the jaw, or while opening and closing the mouth or chewing.
The wisdom teeth are located at the very back of the mouth, so wisdom teeth that have begun to emerge are very difficult to clean; while it’s possible to brush the biting surface, the area behind the tooth and between the molars is more susceptible to bacteria and food debris, and it’s challenging, if not impossible, to reach back that far with floss. This can lead to bad breath and cavities and could even lead to gum disease and, eventually, tooth loss. These hygiene-related concerns come with symptoms that are painful and destructive, and extracting these teeth makes it significantly easier to thoroughly and properly brush all the surfaces of your teeth and to floss each and every juncture.
In addition to the hygiene challenges wisdom teeth pose, they can cause problems within the jaw, too. Teeth develop inside sacs in the bone. When the wisdom tooth remains in its sac, never emerging through the gums, the sac can fill with fluid and become a cyst. As the cyst grows, this swollen mass can damage the nerves, the bone, and the teeth; it could also harden and become a benign tumor that requires surgical attention. Many oral surgeons recommend extraction of wisdom teeth before any of these risky symptoms arise, so if your dentist proposes the idea to you, pay attention. Early intervention could prevent potentially destructive outcomes.
