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Impacted Tooth - Impacted Tooth symptom, treatment, causes

Impacted Tooth can be esplained as the failure of a tooth to erupt (come through the gum) properly, usually because there is not enough room in the jaw for it to take its correct position. Impaction can also occur if a tooth grows in the wrong direction, so that its eruption is blocked by bone. An impacted tooth can remain fully embedded in bone or gum tissue, or may partly erupt.

An impacted tooth is any tooth that is prevented from reaching its normal position in the mouth by tissue, bone, or another tooth. An impacted tooth remains embedded in soft gingiva (gum) tissue or bone beyond its normal eruption time. The cause may be overcrowding, often because the jaw is too small to fit the third set of molars. Teeth may also become twisted, tilted, or displaced as they try to emerge, resulting in impacted teeth. Teeth emerge through the gums during infancy, and when the primary teeth are replaced by the permanent teeth. If a tooth fails to emerge, or emerges only partially, it is impacted. Because they are the last teeth to emerge, the most common teeth to become impacted are the 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. Impacted wisdom teeth are very common. They are often painless and cause no apparent trouble. However, some professionals believe an impacted tooth pushes on the next tooth, which pushes the next tooth, eventually causing a misalignment of the bite. 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.

Less common symptoms of an impacted tooth are swollen lymph nodes in the neck, difficulty opening the mouth, and prolonged headache. The risks of keeping an impacted tooth extend beyond the impacted tooth itself. Any impacted tooth will exert forces on the arch of your smile that may cause unnecessary crowding of your teeth. Impacted teeth are likely to become infected, thus they are usually removed. Often the removal can be done in the dentist's office with the person remaining awake, with use of a local anesthetic or with sedation to calm the person. Having a small jawbone may make you more prone to having impacted wisdom teeth. But otherwise, there are no particular biological or environmental risk factors that make you more likely than someone else to have impacted wisdom teeth. Impacted teeth may cause no problems for some people and may never require treatment. If the impacted tooth is causing symptoms, treatment -- including extraction -- is usually successful in resolving the symptoms. The goal of treatment is to relieve irritation of the mouth caused by the impacted tooth. If the impacted tooth is not causing infection or inflammation, or is not affecting the alignment of the other teeth, no treatment may be necessary. Over-the-counter pain relievers may help. Warm salt water (one-half teaspoon of salt in one cup of water) or over-the-counter mouthwashes may be soothing to the gums.

Causes of Impacted tooth

The common causes and risk factor's of Impacted tooth include the following:

• Infection, either from decay in any exposed portion of the tooth or from trapped food and plaque in the surrounding gum tissue.
• Having a small jawbone.

Symptoms of Impacted tooth

Some sign and symptoms related to Impacted tooth are as follows:

• Swollen lymph nodes of the neck.
• Pain or tenderness of the gums or jaw bone.
• Bad breath.
• Recurrent infection of the tooth.
• Malocclusion, or improper positioning of the teeth.
• Prolonged headache or jaw ache.
• Difficulty opening the mouth (occasionally).

Treatment of Impacted tooth

Here is list of the methods for treating Impacted tooth:

• Minor pain or irritation from swollen gums or infection caused by impacted or ectopic teeth can be controlled with over-the-counter painkillers.
• Warm salt water (one-half teaspoon of salt in one cup of water) or over-the-counter mouthwashes may be soothing to the gums.
• Extraction (removal) of the tooth is the usual treatment for an impacted tooth.
• Antibiotics may be required prior to tooth extraction if the area around the tooth is infected.
• If an impacted tooth does cause problems, such as infection or pain, surgery may be needed to remove it.

Wisdom teeth are the most likely to be impacted. If they remain completely buried in bone and gums they usually cause no trouble. though x-rays may be advised to make sure that no problems are developing. Partly crowded-out wisdom teeth are the most likely to be troublesome. If they are halfway through the gum and impacted so that they cannot erupt any further, mouth bacteria may become trapped under the gum still covering part of the tooth and cause infection and painful inflammation. Extraction of the tooth usually corrects the problem, though antibiotics may be needed to over-come the infection.

An impacted tooth may need surgical removal, which entails cutting the gum and lifting it so that some of the bone around the tooth can be removed. The tooth may need to be divided and removed in two or more pieces. The flap of gum is then stitched back in position. The dentist provides instructions for post-operative care, and a prescription for painkillers if needed. The stitches may dissolve orneed to be taken out after 4 days and, unless DRY SOCKET develops, healing should be complete after 10 days.

Upper canine (pointed) teeth are sometimes impacted. Because these teeth are much more important to biting and chewing than wisdom teeth, impacted canines are not usually removed. Orthodontic appliances called braces or splints are used to move, the tooth gradually into its correct position so that it can come through.