Impacted teeth
Expert review by:
- Dr Gurmandeep Sond, former Clinical Development Manager at Bupa Dental Care
- Michelle Harrison, Freelance Health Editor
About impacted teeth
You might not know you have an impacted tooth unless it’s causing you symptoms or your dentist discovers it during a routine check-up. But if you do have one, it could be:
- Fully impacted. This means it’s completely blocked from breaking through your gum by another tooth. Some fully impacted wisdom teeth may still be partially visible but are laying on their side and impacting into the tooth next to it.
- Partially impacted. This means it starts to break through your gum, but doesn’t fully emerge.
Impacted teeth most commonly affect your wisdom teeth or your canines.
- Impacted wisdom teeth. These are the last four of the large grinding teeth (molars) at the back of your mouth. There are two in your top jaw and two in your bottom jaw. They usually come through when you’re in your late teens or early twenties.
- Impacted canine teeth. These are your corner teeth, sometimes known as ‘fangs’. There are also two in your top jaw and two in your bottom jaw. Your canines give you a symmetrical smile and are your sharpest teeth, used for chewing.
Causes of impacted teeth
There are lots of reasons why your teeth could become impacted, such as:
- A small jaw. If you have a small jaw, there might not be enough room in your mouth for all your teeth to come in properly.
- The angle of your tooth. If your tooth grows at an unusual angle (away from your gum surface), it may not be able to break through as it should.
- Genetics. If your parents had crowded or impacted teeth, you might be more likely to have them too.
- Losing a baby tooth early. If your baby teeth fall out sooner than they should, your other teeth can move into this space and block your adult teeth from coming in.
- Extra teeth. If you have more teeth than usual, it can make it hard for them all to fit in your mouth.
- An injury: If you’ve been hit in the mouth, it might move your teeth and make it harder for them to grow into the right spot.
- Cysts. If you have a growth in your mouth, it can get in the way of a tooth trying to come in.
Symptoms of impacted teeth
You might not have any symptoms with impacted teeth. If you do, these might include:
- Swollen gums
- Bleeding gums
- Pain when you eat or bite down
- Bad breath or a bad taste in your mouth
Treating impacted teeth
There are different options for treating impacted teeth, which will depend on your individual needs and which teeth are affected. These include:
- Leaving and monitoring: If your impacted teeth aren’t causing any problems, your dentist might suggest leaving them. They’ll monitor them, including taking occasional X-rays, to see if any problems develop over time
- Extracting the tooth: If your impacted teeth are causing pain, your dentist might recommend extracting the tooth/teeth. This is often the case with wisdom teeth or if your impacted teeth could negatively impact your oral health. You can usually have this done in one day, either at your local practice or in hospital.
- Surgery and braces to move the tooth: If your dentist thinks it’s necessary, you can have an operation to uncover the buried tooth. This usually only happens if your canine is impacted and it involves removing a small ‘window’ of gum and bone to help it grow into your mouth. You’ll then need fixed braces to shift the canine into the correct position.
