Causes and Risk Factors of Tooth Impaction
- Failure to erupt within the expected developmental window
- Abnormal tooth development
- Insufficient space in the jaw
- Genetic factors
- Crowding of teeth
- Premature loss of primary teeth
Symptoms and Complications of Tooth Impaction
- Pain and discomfort
- Swelling and redness in the gums
- Difficulty in opening the mouth
- Bad breath
- Difficulty in chewing or biting
- Infection and abscess formation
- Damage to adjacent teeth
- Formation of cysts or tumors
- Shifting of other teeth
- Development of gum disease
Diagnosis of Tooth Impaction
- Clinical examination
- X-rays and imaging techniques
- Assessment of tooth position and angulation
- Evaluation of surrounding structures
- Determination of treatment options
Treatment Options for Tooth Impaction
- Extraction of impacted tooth
- Orthodontic treatment to create space
- Surgical exposure and bonding of tooth
- Use of braces or aligners
- Monitoring and follow-up care after treatment
Management and Prevention of Tooth Impaction
- Watchful monitoring or extraction depending on the situation
- Surgical exposure of impacted canines for aesthetic purposes
- Use of laser for uncovering superficially impacted teeth
- No advantage of one exposure method over another
- References for further information and research
An impacted tooth is one that fails to erupt into the dental arch within the expected developmental window. Because impacted teeth do not erupt, they are retained throughout the individual's lifetime unless extracted or exposed surgically. Teeth may become impacted because of adjacent teeth, dense overlying bone, excessive soft tissue or a genetic abnormality. Most often, the cause of impaction is inadequate arch length and space in which to erupt. That is the total length of the alveolar arch is smaller than the tooth arch (the combined mesiodistal width of each tooth). The wisdom teeth (third molars) are frequently impacted because they are the last teeth to erupt in the oral cavity. Mandibular third molars are more commonly impacted than their maxillary counterparts.
Some dentists believe that impacted teeth should be removed except, in certain cases, canine teeth: canines may just remain buried and give no further problems, thus not requiring surgical intervention. However, removal of asymptomatic, pathology-free, impacted teeth is not a medical consensus: watchful monitoring may be a more prudent and cost-effective strategy and make the future placement of a dental implant through such impacted tooth a feasible approach.
