If your wisdom teeth removal are impacted, they will need to be removed. This is a relatively simple procedure with a quick recovery.

It’s best to have the surgery done at a younger age before the roots fully form. It’s also more comfortable, since you can be treated with sedation during the surgery.

Impacted Wisdom Teeth

If a wisdom tooth does not fully break through the gums, it’s known as an “impacted” wisdom tooth. Often, impacted wisdom teeth cause problems such as pain, swelling and tooth decay. They can also push and crowd other teeth out of alignment.

Your dentist or oral surgeon will check your mouth for impacted wisdom teeth with regular six-month dental visits and x-rays. They will look for swollen gums and signs of infection around impacted teeth.

When you’re under anesthesia, your oral surgeon will cut incisions in the gum tissue to expose the impacted tooth and bone. They will remove bone that blocks access to the root of the tooth and may divide the tooth into sections if it’s easier to extract this way. They will stitch the wounds, if needed, using self-dissolving stitches (though this isn’t always necessary). Patients with impacted wisdom teeth usually get IV sedation during surgery. You will receive instructions on how to care for your teeth and gums after surgery.

Impacted Teeth Symptoms

It’s important to have wisdom teeth removed when they’re still forming as they could cause problems later. In addition to damaging other molars, they can become impacted (trapped in the jaw bone or gums), and cysts may form around them, hollowing out the tooth. They can also interfere with bite alignment and cause sinus pain, pressure, and congestion.

Bleeding and swollen gums are common after removal of a wisdom tooth. You can help control bleeding by biting down on gauze with firm, continuous pressure. It’s best to avoid rinsing or spitting as this can dislodge the blood clot.

You might have pain and stiffness in your jaw joints after a wisdom tooth extraction, which can last for a few days or longer. You can take acetaminophen or ibuprofen to help control pain and discomfort, but you should follow the instructions on the bottle, as these medications can make you drowsy. You should also limit your diet to soft foods and avoid chewing on the site of the surgery.

Impacted Teeth Causes

When wisdom teeth push through the gums, they often do so in a way that puts them in conflict with other teeth. This is called impaction. It most commonly occurs in late adolescence or early adulthood. When a wisdom tooth becomes impacted, it must be removed.

A swollen gum over an impacted tooth indicates a possible infection that requires treatment. A dental x-ray can confirm the presence of an impacted tooth and its location.

Other symptoms of a impacted tooth include difficulty chewing. The crowding and angles of an impacted tooth create an ideal place for germs to hide, leading to bad breath.

Most impacted teeth require removal in the dentist’s office under local anesthesia or sedation. Some patients experience throbbing pain after surgery. This complication, called dry socket, occurs when the blood clot that closes over the extraction site dislodges before it heals. This complication can be prevented by following the dentist’s post-treatment instructions, such as avoiding smoking or rinsing the wound too soon.

Impacted Teeth Treatment

To avoid complications, impacted wisdom teeth should be removed as soon as they become visible in the mouth. This procedure is generally painless and can be performed by your dentist or oral surgeon. To ensure your comfort, we will numb the area with local anesthesia and may give you sedation medications.

We can identify impacted wisdom teeth during regular six-month dental visits and through the use of updated dental x-rays. In some cases, impacted wisdom teeth can be monitored without removal through a non-invasive treatment called a coronectomy (cor-on-IKEE-tehs). Regular monitoring allows us to determine the rate at which your molars are developing and whether they are likely to erupt normally. This helps you to make informed decisions about your care and may help prevent unnecessary extractions. This type of minimal intervention approach is becoming more popular as it is based on a philosophy that promotes preservation and prevention rather than treating problems after they arise.