What is an Impacted Tooth?

Wisdom Teeth

Are also known as third molars. They are the 4 last teeth to erupt in your mouth. This generally occurs at about 18 years of age.

What is an Impacted Tooth?

When there is a lack of space in the dental arch a wisdom tooth becomes impacted. The impacted tooth is positioned against another tooth, bone, or soft tissue so that complete eruption is unlikely.

What happens to impacted teeth?

Impacted and partially impacted tooth can be painful and lead to infection. They may damage the adjacent tooth, roots or even over crowd the teeth. More serious problems may occur if the sac that surrounds the impacted tooth becomes filled with fluid and enlarges to form a cyst. As the cyst grows it may hollow out the jaw bone and permanently harm adjacent teeth, the surrounding bone and nerves. Rarely, if a cyst is not treated, a tumor may develop from its walls and a more serious surgical procedure may be necessary to remove it.

Should my Tooth be pulled if it Hasn’t Caused Any problems Yet?

Damage can occur without you being aware of it, because not all third molars are painful or visible. As patients age, wisdom teeth are more likely to cause problems, they become more difficult to remove and complications are more likely to occur. It is Estimated that about 85% of third molars will eventually need to be removed.

By Dr. Cirenia Aparicio, Dentist in Mexico