What causes a tooth to become impacted?
Everyone has probably heard the term impacted wisdom teeth. It's a lot more common to see that these days than maybe a hundred years ago. There are many reasons why the incidence of impacted wisdom teeth is increasing over the decades. A lot of it has to do with our diet and how things have changed. We're not in the wild eating steak and hard meats as much as we used to, like our ancestors. Our jawbones are not being put under as much stress to create enough room for our teeth. The prevailing theory is that as our modern society has progressed, our food has changed, and the process of eating and chewing our food has changed, requiring less effort. This results in our jawbones being smaller, leaving less room for all of those teeth.
What are the symptoms of impacted wisdom teeth?
If you are unsure whether your teeth are impacted, we take a full mouth panoramic X-ray that allows us to see how many wisdom teeth you have, where they are, how impacted they may be, or if you even have them. Some people are born without all of their wisdom teeth, and some people are born with extra wisdom teeth. This X-ray allows us to take an overarching look at everything and provide you with the best information we can.
What are the symptoms of an impacted wisdom tooth?
Symptoms vary; some people with impacted wisdom teeth have them for their whole life without problems and are just the lucky ones. However, most people with impacted wisdom teeth experience issues, usually on the bottom. We see people coming in anywhere from their 20s to their 50s, typically with intense jaw pain, earaches, or headaches lasting for days to weeks.
Often, people have difficulty opening their mouth fully because their muscles and gums are sore. Inside the mouth, we see swollen gum tissue that's very red, and there might be some pus coming from gum pockets around the barely protruding teeth. These symptoms help us diagnose what's going on with the wisdom teeth and determine how to proceed.
What is the difference between a partially erupted impacted wisdom tooth and a fully impacted tooth?
If you come in and we diagnose you with symptomatic impacted wisdom teeth, meaning they are causing you pain, we generally see no other option besides removing them.
What are the treatment options available for an impacted wisdom tooth?
If you come to our office and we diagnose you with impacted wisdom teeth and you're experiencing significant pain, the only treatment option at that point is to have the teeth removed. The pain around your wisdom teeth is due to the inability to keep them clean, as there's too much under the surface for us to ensure that bacteria isn't festering in an area you can't clean at home.
We recommend having your wisdom teeth removed, either that day if possible or by scheduling a return visit, depending on how impacted they are. Sometimes they're easier to remove than others. Usually, we need to make small incisions to move the gums aside, occasionally requiring some bone removal to create a larger opening. Typically, the teeth can be accessed and removed with our instruments. Sometimes we use stitches; sometimes we don't, depending on the patient. Once we remove the teeth and clean the area well, the gums will heal nicely, and you'll feel much better.
At Smiles of Kiln Creek, you come first. Whether you need dental care or simply have questions, call us at (757) 996-4655 or email [email protected] to schedule your visit. Our team is here to help you every step of the way.