Tooth Impaction

Tooth impaction is a common condition that may not cause any symptoms, or it can cause very annoying and painful ones.

Tooth impaction

Tooth impaction means that a tooth remains stuck in the gums or jawbone and doesn’t erupt as it should. There are three types of impacted teeth:

• Soft tissue impaction, in which the tooth grows only in the jawbone and doesn’t go through the gums.
• Partial bony impaction, in which a part of the tooth erupts through the jawbone and the other part remains in it.
• Fully bony impaction, in which the whole tooth remains in the jawbone.

Causes of tooth impaction

Many reasons can cause tooth impaction, such as:

• Not having enough space in the jawbone, which occurs if the jaw is small or there are extra teeth.
• If there are twisted or crooked teeth that grow in sideways.
• If there is an overcrowding that prohibits the teeth from growing in a normal way.

Symptoms of tooth impaction

Symptoms of an impacted tooth can be persistent or come and go, and they include:

• The gums become red and swollen, and they may bleed in the affected area.
• Difficulty when opening the mouth.
• Bad taste in the mouth or bad breath.
• Jaw pain.
• Headache.
• Swollen lymph nodes in the neck.
• In some cases, tooth impaction can lead to gum disease, cavities, an abscess in the tooth, cysts under the gums, inflammation of the gum around the back area, bad bite, and damage to the mandibular nerve that is located in the lower jaw.

Diagnosis of tooth impaction

• Examining the teeth.
• Imaging tests.

Treatment of tooth impaction

• Treating tooth impaction depends on the case.
• If there are no symptoms, then monitoring the condition can be enough.
• If there are symptoms, the dentist may help in erupting the tooth or remove it.