|
|
|
An
impacted tooth is any tooth that is prevented from reaching its
normal position in the mouth by tissue, bone, or another tooth.
|
The
teeth that most commonly become impacted are the third molars, also
called wisdom teeth. These large teeth are the last to develop,
beginning to form when a person is about nine years old, but not
breaking through the gum tissue until the late teens or early twenties.
By this time, the jaws have stopped growing and may be too small
to accommodate these four additional teeth. As the wisdom teeth
continue to move, one or more may become impacted, either by running
into the teeth next to them or becoming blocked within the jawbone
or gum tissue. An impacted tooth can cause further dental problems,
including infection of the gums, displacement of other teeth, or
decay. At least one wisdom tooth becomes impacted in nine of every
ten people.
|
The
movement of an erupting wisdom tooth and any subsequent impaction
may produce pain at the back of the jaw. Pain may also be the
result of infection, either from decay in any exposed portion
of the tooth or from trapped food and plaque in the surrounding
gum tissue. Infection typically produces an unpleasant taste when
biting down and bad breath. Another source of pain may be pericoronitis,
a gum condition in which the crown of the incompletely erupted
tooth produces inflammation, redness, and tenderness of the gums.
Less common symptoms of an impacted tooth are swollen lymph nodes
in the neck, difficulty opening the mouth, and prolonged headache.
|
Upon
visual examination, the dentist may find signs of infection or swelling
in the area where the tooth is present or only partially erupted.
Dental x rays are necessary to confirm tooth impaction.
|
Because
impacted teeth may cause dental problems with few if any symptoms
to indicate damage, dentists commonly recommend the removal of
all wisdom teeth, preferably while the patient is still a young
adult. A dentist may perform an extraction with forceps and local
anesthetic if the tooth is exposed and appears to be easily removable
in one piece. However, he or she may refer a difficult extraction
to an oral surgeon, a specialist who administers either nitrous
oxide-oxygen (commonly called "laughing gas"), an intravenous
sedative, or a general anesthetic to alleviate any pain or discomfort
during the surgical procedure. Extracting an impacted tooth typically
requires cutting through gum tissue to expose the tooth, and may
require removing portions of bone to free the tooth. The tooth
may have to be removed in pieces to minimize destruction to the
surrounding structures. The extraction site may or may not require
one or more stitches to help the incision heal.
|
The
prognosis is very good when impacted teeth are removed from young
healthy adults without complications. Potential complications
include postoperative infection, temporary numbness from nerve
irritation, jaw fracture, and jaw joint pain. An additional condition
which may develop is called dry socket: when a blood clot does
not properly form in the empty tooth socket, or is disturbed by
an oral vacuum (such as from drinking through a straw or smoking),
the bone beneath the socket is painfully exposed to air and food,
and the extraction site heals more slowly.
|
Dry socket :
A painful condition following
tooth extraction in which a blood clot does not properly fill the
empty socket, leaving the bone underneath exposed to air and food.
Eruption :
The process of a tooth breaking through the gum tissue to grow into place in the mouth.
Extraction :
The removal of a tooth from its socket in the bone.
Pericoronitis :
A gum condition in which
irritation and inflammation are produced by the crown of an incompletely
erupted tooth.
Wisdom Tooth :
One of the four last teeth on the top and bottom rows of teeth. Also called a third molar.
|
|
