Impacted teeth often cause a great deal of discomfort and pain and most often affect the wisdom teeth. If you suspect that you have impacted wisdom teeth, you should contact the dental team at Lovett Dental Upper Kirby to set up an appointment.
What Are Impacted Teeth?
Tooth impaction refers to teeth that cannot break through the gum line. A partially impacted tooth has started to erupt but largely remains under the gums. Often, these problematic teeth don’t cause pain or suffering. Many are discovered through annual x-rays at our office during regular checkups. However, others become infected or place pressure on your other teeth and require intervention to prevent further discomfort and damage.
How to Tell if You Have Tooth Impaction
The symptoms of impacted teeth include the following:
- Swollen gums
- Bad breath or a bad taste in the mouth
- Bleeding gums
- Pain when chewing or opening your mouth
You may experience symptoms for an extended period of weeks or longer.
Causes Behind Impacted Teeth
When your mouth doesn’t have enough space for new teeth, it may result in impacted teeth. Treatment often includes orthodontic specialists and the care of an oral surgeon. Our specialists will show and explain your options and schedule a procedure that will work best for you.
What Are the Most Commonly Impacted Teeth?
Impacted wisdom teeth occur when you get your last molars. This usually happens between the ages of seventeen to twenty-one but can also occur much later. Also called third molars, these teeth develop after your jaw stops growing. Often, the mouth cannot accommodate these large molars. Many people opt to have them removed not to cause issues such as misalignments and infections.
Maxillary canines also become impacted. Whereas the dentist is likely to recommend impacted tooth removal for wisdom teeth, the maxillary canines are important teeth for chewing your food. Other treatment methods can get these teeth to emerge from the gum line.
As soon as you suspect tooth impaction, visit Lovett Dental Upper Kirby. Our general dentist will examine your mouth and take x-rays to determine if your symptoms resulted from impacted teeth.
Treatment for Impacted Teeth
There are several ways to deal with tooth impaction. Most commonly, the dentist will recommend waiting to see if the tooth emerges on its own. However, if you have pain or discomfort in the area, we may recommend oral surgery from one of our specialists to remove the tooth.
If you come in for regular dental checkups, we may discover impacted teeth when we take your yearly x-rays.
Extraction Surgery at Lovett Dental Upper Kirby
Surgery can resolve the unpleasant side effects of an infection or other problems related to an impacted tooth. Impacted teeth removal or extraction prevents the problem tooth from having a negative factor on your oral health.
During the surgery, you will receive a local anesthetic and remain conscious. You can go home immediately following the surgery, but May want to arrange for a ride to and from the office. Typically, the surgery takes about an hour, and you may need seven to ten days to recover full functionality. However, you can immediately resume daily activities and return to school or work.
What Is an Eruption Aid?
If you have an impacted canine tooth, the dentist may introduce eruption aids to help the tooth emerge from the gum line. Eruption aids include brackets, braces, and removing baby teeth blocking the permanent canines. Sometimes, the impacted tooth is replaced with a bridge or dental implant.
Get the Treatment for Impacted Teeth You Need at Lovett Dental Upper Kirby
At Lovett Dental Upper Kirby, we treat impacted teeth and offer a full range of family dental services. Contact us a 713-490-8888, or contact us online today to schedule an appointment or find out more about impacted teeth removal.