Oral Surgery - Impacted Tooth

Impacted teeth are the upper and lower third molars located at the very back of the mouth. They are called Impacted teeth as they appear at the age when a person is between 17-21 years old and have gained some wisdom. Impacted teeth that are healthy and properly positioned do not cause any problems. Many times, Impacted teeth can also come in crooked or facing the wrong direction. Or, if your jaw is not large enough to give them room, they may become impacted and unable to break through gums.

Symptoms of Impacted Tooth problems

Parial eruption of Impacted tooth can create a flap of gum tissue on the tooth. The flap can trap small food particles and debris, which in turn gives home for bacteria to develop. It’s called ‘pericoronitis’, where the tissue around the tooth becomes inflamed and it’s painful. The patient also finds difficulty in opening the mouth. Sometimes, there is discharge of pus from the gums near the tooth and swelling on the affected side of the face. If pericoronitis is servere, the swelling and infection may extend beyond the jaw to the cheeks and neck.

Pericoronitis

Types of impaction

Treatment

  • ● You can help to prevent pericoronitis by proper brushing, gargling and flossing around it. Sometimes, these steps do not work.
  • ● If it recurs, you may need to have the flap of gum tissue removed.
  • ● In some cases, the flap of tissue grows back and the wisdom tooth will need to be extracted.
  • ● During checkup, dentist may take x-ray to diagnose the position of wisdom tooth and need for extaction.
  • ● Similarly, upper third molar may be impacted or over erupted, it may need to be extracted.

Post Extraction Instructions

  • ● Bite firmly the gauze pack over the socket area for at least ½ an hour and then discard it gently.
  • ● Do not spit or suck through a straw since this will promote bleeding.
  • ● Use ice pack on the outside of your cheek for some time.
  • ● Vanilla ice-cream, cold milk, juice are recommended after surgery.
  • ● Avoid smoking for at least 24 hours after surgery.
  • ● Avoid rubbing with your tongue or touching the socket with fingers.
  • ● If bleeding continues, contact your dentist.