Impacted Wisdom Teeth
When you have talked to the dentist about your wisdom teeth and you know that you will have to have them removed, the dentist will need to confirm the location of your teeth. The dentist will take an x-ray or even a CT scan to confirm that the teeth are in place and are not in danger of damaging your jaw during their extraction.
If you can’t see your third set of molars, the teeth are considered impacted. When they are impacted, the teeth can be below the gumline and even partially or completely below the bone. When your mouth does not have enough room to accommodate the additional molars, the teeth can remain below the gums without the ability to erupt or become visible. Typically impacted wisdom teeth can go unnoticed until they start causing pain. Without treatment, the teeth can cause damage to other teeth and even worse issues for you. Because of their location, impacted teeth are unable to be cleaned like your other teeth and are vulnerable to tooth decay. With the bacteria remaining in place, the impacted teeth can even lead to gum disease for the surrounding tissues. Dentists recommend removing the impacted teeth before they cause additional more complicated dental issues.
Symptoms
Some people may not even notice their wisdom teeth under the gums or teeth, or they do not experience any symptoms. Once an impacted wisdom tooth is infected or starts to cause damage to surrounding teeth, you are likely to feel pain or even swelling from the pressure. Those and other dental problems are brought on by impacted wisdom teeth tend to bring these symptoms:
- Pain in your jaw
- Swelling in your jaw or of your gums
- Tenderness in your jaw or gums
- Bleeding in your gums
- Difficulty opening and closing your mouth
- Unpleasant taste or odor from your mouth
When to see a doctor
Only the dentist can properly diagnose impacted wisdom teeth after an examination and maybe even an x-ray. The dentist can explain to you where your third set of molars are trapped or impacted and whether they are partially impacted or fully impacted. The x-ray and exam can reveal which direction the tooth is facing and if it is at an angle. The tooth can be angled towards the second molar, angled towards the back of your mouth, perpendicular to the other teeth, or growing parallel to the other without the room to come from below the jaw line.
Complications
Further complications from untreated wisdom teeth can lead to:
- Additional damage to the other teeth
- Cysts from inflammation and infection
- Decay due to difficult positioning for proper cleaning
- Gum disease to the surrounding tissue from bacteria.
Impacted wisdom teeth are not preventable, but the symptoms and complications are for most people. When you start to experience any of these symptoms, you should make an appointment with the dentist. The dentist can diagnose and treat your impacted teeth before they cause any other complications or issues in your otherwise healthy mouth.
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