After you lose your primary (baby) teeth, larger, permanent teeth replace them. Healthy adult teeth fully emerge from your gums to fill out your smile, but sometimes a tooth gets stuck, or impacted.
Impacted teeth either emerge partially from your gum or not at all. Any permanent tooth could become impacted, but wisdom teeth are most commonly affected.
Impacted teeth can be very painful and could cause other oral health issues down the road. Avoid the dangers of untreated impacted teeth with comprehensive care at Touni Orthodontics in Sunnyvale, California.
Walied Touni, DDS, MSD, and our dental team treat impacted teeth to eliminate pain and prevent related complications. Whether the tooth is affecting you or your teen, it’s time to learn more about impacted teeth.
Your wisdom teeth are at the back of your mouth. Most people get their wisdom teeth in their late teens or early 20s. These teeth often cause problems because they emerge years after all your other permanent teeth.
When a tooth gets trapped below your gum line, it can cause inflammation and other painful symptoms. In some cases, it might not cause pain, but it could put your overall oral health at risk.
Impacted teeth can be very uncomfortable. Some common symptoms that could indicate an impacted tooth include:
You might notice gum sensitivity when you brush or floss your teeth. The affected area may be swollen or painful.
You could have an impacted tooth without any noticeable symptoms. If your wisdom teeth haven’t emerged yet, it could be because they’re impacted. Our team can identify partially or fully impacted teeth with an oral exam and dental X-rays.
Even if your tooth isn’t causing you pain, it’s important to have it treated. Ignoring an impacted tooth could have a cascading effect on your overall oral health. Untreated impacted teeth may cause:
An impacted tooth also could put you at increased risk for decay, because cleaning it may be difficult or impossible.
Dr. Touni and our team take a comprehensive approach to impacted teeth. We evaluate your teeth with a dental exam and take dental X-rays if the tooth is fully impacted below your gum line.
Depending on your situation, we may recommend eruption aides to help your tooth fully emerge through your gums. If one or more of your wisdom teeth is impacted, Dr. Touni may recommend removal. Wisdom tooth removal can eliminate discomfort and protect the integrity of your other teeth.
Whether that impacted tooth is painful or not, you shouldn’t ignore it. Schedule a dental consultation at Touni Orthodontics to learn more about your treatment options by calling our office or requesting an appointment online today.
