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Impacted wisdom teeth are notorious for causing a lot of pain and discomfort and for potentially being a serious dental problem. In the following article, we will discuss more about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of impacted wisdom teeth.
Wisdom teeth are the last (third) set of molars in the back of your mouth, and they usually erupt and cause problems for patients between 15 and 25 years old. There is one pair of wisdom teeth on each arch of teeth, and four in total. When they erupt, they often meet resistance from the existing permanent teeth, or from the jaw bone itself.
If the jaw bone or the other teeth are blocking the wisdom teeth from erupting, the patient is experiencing impacted wisdom teeth. If left untreated, they can cause many problems, starting with tooth decay, infections, and tooth misalignment.
The signs of impacted wisdom teeth depend on what kind of problems they cause in your mouth. Usually, when wisdom teeth are prevented from erupting from the gums, the patient experiences pain, swelling, pressure, and discomfort around the gums or even in the whole jaw area.
If the wisdom teeth start decaying, then you may notice signs such as bad breath that does not go away, a bad taste in the mouth, swelling, fever, redness, and so on. Signs of infection or tooth pain that doesn’t recede should be always treated as a dental emergency and the patient should be seen by a dentist as soon as possible.
Before a treatment plan is defined, your dentist will take x-rays of the patient’s mouth to see exactly where the wisdom tooth is, and what might be preventing it from erupting.
The best treatment for an impacted wisdom tooth is extraction. The dentist will assess your case and determine if you need an oral surgeon’s expertise for it and what type of sedation works best for you. Depending on the severity of your case, you may need more or less extensive treatment, but fortunately, these procedures all have a high success rate.
To prevent complications, getting treated in time is the most important when it comes to impacted wisdom teeth.
If you suspect having impacted wisdom teeth, contact Jackson Family Dentistry and book an appointment with one of our doctors. Dr. Ben Heffter, Dr. Pako Major, and the rest of the team have the skills, experience, and technology to choose the best treatment plan for your particular case.
You can contact us via phone, email, or through the online form on our website, making it easy and convenient to book an appointment. You can get a free video consultation from Dr. Heffter by signing up on our website and sending a photo of your problem.
Get in touch with us now for superior dental care in Jackson.