Impacted Wisdom Teeth - Impacted Wisdom Teeth Cause, Sign, Treatment, Symptoms

Impacted Wisdom Teeth - Impacted Wisdom Teeth Cause, Sign, Treatment, Symptoms - When the wisdom teeth do not have enough room to grow properly they may come out sideways or at a wrong angle - they are impacted - because they are obstructed by the other teeth.

The patient's wisdom tooth may come out at a strange angle, in the wrong place, or only come out partially. Our wisdom teeth are the last teeth to grow, they are medically known as the third molars - they are at the end of the upper and lower gums, right in the back of the mouth. Most people eventually have four wisdom teeth.

The majority of people grow wisdom teeth during their late adolescent years or very early adulthood.

As wisdom teeth develop, they typically affect other teeth, and become impacted. The patient may experience pain and the other teeth may become damaged. Even if no apparent damage occurs, the teeth can become more susceptible to disease.

If an impacted wisdom tooth causes pain or some kind of dental problem the dentist will usually extract it. Some dentists advise their patients to have their impacted wisdom teeth taken out even if there are no apparent problems.

Depending on how the teeth have grown through, impacted wisdom teeth are classed as:

Mesioangular impaction - the tooth is angled towards the front of the mouth. Approximately 44% of wisdom teeth impactions are of this type.
Vertical impaction - the tooth does not break through the gum line. About 38% of cases are of this type.
Distoangular impaction - the tooth is angled towards the back of the mouth. About 6% of cases are of this type.
Horizontal impaction - the tooth is angled sideways at a full 90 degrees, it is growing into the roots of the molar next to it. About 3% of cases are of this type.