What is an impacted tooth?
If you think you may be suffering from an impacted tooth, take the time to read this article to understand condition and seek out dental care for treatment. As the name suggest, an impacted tooth is a tooth grown out of the gum incorrectly. The tooth can come in sideways, crooked, or not at all. When a normal tooth comes in, it normally grows upwards from the bottom or downwards from the top. An impacted tooth can happen at any age. Children who are starting to get their permanent teeth can have impacted teeth. The teeth can become trapped in the gum if a baby tooth does not fall out in time. A very common tooth that cause tooth impact are the wisdom tooth. The wisdom teeth are the last teeth to grow in and often arrive between the age of 17 and 25. These late teeth can cause crowding or grow in odd position.
What are the types of impacted wisdom tooth?
Four common type of wisdom tooth impaction can be classify based on their orientation in the mouth. The first type is called full bone impact that cause the wisdom tooth to gets stuck in the jaw bone. The second type is called a partial bone impact where the wisdom tooth is partially stuck in the jaw. The third type is called a soft tissue impact that causes the wisdom tooth to get stuck beneath the gum. The final type is called an erupted wisdom tooth where the tooth is partially exposed.
What are the symptoms of an impacted tooth
There are several indicators that you may be suffering from an impacted tooth. The first sign is excessive swelling or tenderness of the gum tissue or headaches. Headaches can be caused by the toothache. In some cases, you may have difficulty opening your mouth because of the tenderness and soreness. These symptoms could indicate other problems but if you think it is caused by an impacted tooth, you should visit a dentist to have it checked out. Keep in mind that symptoms will vary from person to person, so you should never try to diagnose a wisdom tooth impaction by yourself.
What are the treatment options for tooth impaction?
Your dentist will recommend treatment plan based on the type of impaction as described above. Treatment plans for wisdom tooth is very much tailor to the individual because the presentation of the impacted wisdom tooth is unique. To develop the treatment plan, your dentist will perform an X-ray to determine to type of tooth impaction. Base on the results, he or she could recommend surgery to extract the tooth, perform a simple tooth extraction if it is partially surface, or in some case try orthodontic treatment to straighten the teeth. The good news is that an impacted tooth is something that is very treatable.
Give California Dental Group a call at (800) 407-0161 today to find out how our team of specialized dental professionals can help you with your impacted tooth.
