Impacted teeth

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 from an impacted tooth. But if you do, you might notice:

• red, swollen or bleeding gums
• pain around your jaw
• pain when you open your mouth
• bad breath
• an unpleasant taste in your mouth

Self-help for impacted teeth

If you think you might have an impacted tooth, or you have any pain, make an appointment to see a dentist. In the meantime, there are a few things you can try help to ease any discomfort.

• Take over-the-counter painkillers such as ibuprofen or paracetamol.
• Rinse your mouth with warm salt water.
• Clean the sore area to stop any food debris collecting.

Diagnosis of impacted teeth

Your dentist will carry out a thorough examination of your mouth and will feel your gums to see if they can feel a tooth underneath. They’ll also take a dental x-ray so they can see more clearly if an impacted tooth is buried in your gums.

Impacted teeth treatment

The type of treatment you need for an impacted tooth will depend on which tooth is affected, whether it’s causing you any symptoms and the chance of complications developing in future.

For example, if you have impacted wisdom teeth, your dentist might suggest removing them since they don’t play a vital role in chewing. But if one of your canines is impacted, your dentist will likely suggest ways to move it into the correct place, since you need your canines to tear up food.

Impacted tooth treatment could include:

Watchful waiting

If your impacted teeth aren’t causing you any problems, your dentist might suggest leaving them. They’ll continue to monitor your teeth over time and take x-rays to see if any problems develop.

Removing your tooth

If your impacted teeth are causing you a lot of pain, damaging your other teeth or causing an infection, your dentist may suggest taking them out completely. To do this, your dentist will numb the area before making a small cut in your gum, removing any bone that’s blocking your tooth and then extracting your impacted tooth. This is the most common treatment for impacted wisdom teeth in particular.

Surgery and braces

If your canine is impacted, your dentist might recommend a small operation to uncover your buried tooth. This involves removing a small section 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.