Impacted Teeth

Your teeth are an important feature of your mouth. While small, they have several important responsibilities. Children develop 20 temporary baby teeth. Eventually, the baby teeth fall out, and adult teeth begin to take their place. Adults develop a total of 32 permanent teeth. For most people, their teeth all come in without any issues. For others, however, they may be faced with an impacted tooth. Impacted teeth can cause significant issues. At Pacific Oral & Facial Surgery Center, we can help to treat impacted teeth and restore the health of your mouth.

What Is an Impacted Tooth?

An impacted tooth is one that cannot erupt properly through the gum tissue. It may only be able to erupt partially, or it may be unable to erupt at all. While any tooth can become impacted, there are some that are more likely to be faced with this issue than others. The most common teeth that become impacted are the wisdom teeth or third molars. The second most common teeth to be impacted are the maxillary canines or the canines in the top of your jaw.

Causes of Impacted Teeth

Teeth can become impacted for several different reasons.

•	You may not have enough space in your jaw to accommodate all of your teeth.
•	The tooth may be blocked due to alignment issues with the teeth that have already erupted.
•	You have extra teeth.
•	The tooth may be blocked by bone or a growth on the soft tissue.
•	The tooth may be growing at an angle.

Effects of Impacted Teeth

Impacted teeth can have several different effects.

•	You may experience pain as the teeth attempt to erupt.
•	Damage to adjacent teeth. If the teeth are growing at an angle, they can grow into the roots of your adjacent teeth, which can then cause significant damage.
•	Alignment issues. If there is not enough space in your jaw for the teeth to erupt properly, the teeth attempting to emerge can push your already existing teeth out of their natural alignment. This can lead to overcrowding. Overcrowding can then lead to issues such as bruxism, uneven tooth wear, and TMJ pain.
•	Cysts. Cysts can develop as a result of impacted teeth. While benign, they can cause serious damage to the jawbone.
•	Impacted canines can affect the alignment of your jaw when you bite down as well as affect the appearance of your smile.

Diagnosing and Treating Impacted Teeth

Prior to getting treatment for impacted teeth, they need to be diagnosed. This is done with a thorough oral exam. Along with visually inspecting your mouth, we also take x-rays. X-ray images allow us to see the areas under your gums. We can see the position of impacted teeth if they are present, damage to adjacent teeth, and any damage to your jawbone.

Once diagnosed, we can begin treatment. The exact treatment you require will depend on what teeth are impacted. For wisdom teeth, they are extracted. Wisdom teeth typically need a surgical extraction. We can refer you to an oral surgeon in these cases. Once extracted, wisdom teeth do not need to be replaced. The maxillary canines, however, play an important role in the jaw. If these teeth are impacted, they can often be exposed with oral surgery and guided into proper alignment with orthodontic treatment.

If you suspect that you have an impacted tooth, call Pacific Oral & Facial Surgery Center to schedule your consultation today at 925-290-7727.

Board certified in Oral & Maxillofacial surgery

The surgical specialty of oral and maxillofacial surgery requires up to six additional years of hospital based surgical and anesthesia training beyond dental school.

Contact Pacific Oral and Facial Surgery Center Today!

The first step to a healthier, happier you.

Livermore

1133 E. Stanley Blvd. #215 • Livermore, CA 94550
Phone: 925-290-7727 Fax: 925-294-8800

Tracy

2160 W. Grant Line Road #160 • Tracy, CA 95377
Phone: Phone: 209-835-4600 • Fax: Fax: 209-835-8833

Request Your
Appointment

Download your
New Patient Forms

Learn About
Your First Visit

Read Our
Patient Reviews