More About Impaction -
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Product Description -
Symptoms of impacted teeth
You may not experience any symptoms in some cases. In other cases, an impacted tooth may cause
- Red, Swollen, or Bleeding gums
- Bad Breath
- A bad taste in your mouth
- Difficulty opening your mouth
- Pain when opening your mouth, or when chewing and biting
What causes an impacted tooth?
In general, a tooth becomes impacted when your mouth doesn't have enough space for it. This can be the result of genetics or orthodontic treatment.
Which teeth are most often impacted?
Wisdom teeth are usually impacted. They are the last teeth to grow in and usually begin to come in between the ages of 17 and 21. They are also called as third molars. They may become impacted because there is not enough space in your mouth for them, which sometimes cause pain. A wisdom tooth also might be trying to come in sideways. Or, it might be tilted in your jaw.
What treatment do we provide?
You can sometimes relieve minor irritation by rinsing with warm salt water . But if the pain continues, do visit us. Initially, we will examine your teeth and take an X-ray of your mouth to determine if an impacted tooth is causing your symptoms.
Waiting and monitoring
If your impacted tooth isn't causing any symptoms, we may suggest a wait-and-see approach, instead of surgically removing the tooth. We will regularly monitor it to see if any problems develop.
Surgery
If you're experiencing pain and other unpleasant side effects from an impacted tooth, or if the impacted tooth is suspected to have a negative effect on other teeth, we recommend to extract it out. An impacted tooth can lead to an infection called pericoronitis. If untreated, this infection can spread to the throat or into the neck. Such severe infections require surgery only.
At times, impacted tooth may not bother you or affect nearby teeth. In this case, we will not give any immediate treatment but we will recommend that the tooth be taken out to avoid future problems. Often, it is better to have your wisdom teeth taken out before you turn 21. The surgery usually is less complicated. The tissue and bone also heal better.
Tooth extraction surgery is usually done in 30-40 minutes which means you can go home the same day. Before removing the tooth, we will discuss the procedure and the type of anesthesia we will use. We advise you not to eat anything for six hours before surgery. Also, someone should be with you to drive you to the appointment and drive you home as you should not drive after the surgery.
