What is an impacted tooth?
An impacted tooth is a tooth that has not been able to fully erupt from the jawbone or gum line, trapping it below the surface.
What causes an impacted tooth?
Impacted teeth can be caused by a few factors:
- Genetics play a large part in your teeth alignment.
- A baby tooth or adult tooth is blocking the impacted tooth from surfacing.
- Overcrowding of the teeth in the mouth, leading to the tooth being unable to erupt.
How to prevent an impacted tooth?
An impacted tooth cannot be prevented, due to it naturally occurring and growing in that manner.
How to treat an impacted tooth?
An impacted tooth can be treated in a few ways. If the tooth is partially impacted, the dentist may suggest braces to reposition the tooth back into alignment. However, if the tooth is fully impacted the dentist may suggest either leaving it as it is or if it is causing an infection, it’s likely the tooth will be removed.
How to spot an impacted tooth/symptoms?
Symptoms of an impacted tooth/teeth are swelling of the gums, tenderness and bleeding, there may even be pain when eating and brushing your teeth and gums and you might experience bad breath or a bad taste in the mouth.
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, please contact us to book an appointment as this can lead to infections.