An impacted tooth is one that has not erupted or only partially protrudes above the gum surface. The patient usually experiences severe pain. What are the causes of this problem? What symptoms indicate that we are dealing with an impacted tooth and how is the treatment going?

Affected toothis a painful condition that often hinders everyday functioning. Importantly, many people complain about ailments related to the impacted tooth. The reasons why a tooth has not erupted properly are very diverse - from genetic conditions to late loss of milk teeth.

Stuck tooth - symptoms

If a tooth has stopped in any of the front teeth, it is easy to spot the missing tooth. Worse when the problem concerns the molars, especially the eights. Not all of us have wisdom tooth buds, so their absence may be overlooked. The most common symptoms of an impacted tooth include:

  • gingivitis over a non-erupted tooth
  • incorrect bite, difficulty opening the mouth
  • chronic pain caused by pressing the tooth on a nerve hidden deep in the mandible
  • adjacent tooth periodontitis
  • caries of the erupted part of the impacted teeth
  • szczękościsk
  • frequent infections
  • fracture of the root or the entire adjacent tooth when an impacted tooth grows into it
  • pain when opening the mouth wide

Stuck tooth - diagnosis

In order to recognize an impacted tooth, it is necessary to take an X-ray, namely a panoramic X-ray.

It's a painless x-ray. The patient puts on a special gown that protects his body from X-rays. She sits down on a stool. The technician places a special pin between the patient's teeth so that the teeth do not touch each other. Rest your chin on a contoured pad. Do not move your head during an x-ray.

The pantomogram apparatus "travels" around the entire jaw, from one ear to the other. This is how the picture of the condition of all teeth in the mouth is created, including the teeth that have not erupted.

The image fixed on the plate allows the dentist to determine the further procedure.

Affected tooth - causes

We most often deal with molars. Problemless often it affects canines, premolars, and least often ones and twos.

Tooth retention may be genetic.

Another reason may be the late loss of the milk canine and incorrect or too tight arrangement of the teeth in the jaw.

Another common cause of tooth retention is incorrect treatment in the past.

Late loss of deciduous teeth, which blocks the eruption of permanent teeth, also contributes to the problems.

Unfortunately, in our country there is still a belief that you do not need to visit the dentist with milk teeth, because they will fall out anyway. This is a mistake, because only a doctor can notice that deciduous teeth pose a threat to the proper exit of permanent teeth. And when that happens, the milk teeth must be removed.

It is not uncommon for a maxilla or mandible to be too small to accommodate all permanent teeth. Then the wisdom teeth will grow towards the previous teeth or towards the inside of the mouth. In such a situation, the bite will be incorrect so that they can overlap one another. Eights should be removed.

Stuck tooth - eight

Eights are teeth that provide many problems not only for their owners, but also for dentists. Access to them is very difficult.

The upper wisdom teeth are usually much easier to remove and less likely to stay completely in the bone, while the lower wisdom teeth often do not erupt onto the gum surface, but remain in the bone. Unfortunately, such teeth show the most symptoms, so it is necessary to remove them.

Surgical removal of the lower figure eight usually involves cutting the gum behind the seven to gain access to the bone in which the tooth is hidden. The doctor uses a special drill, and then through the so-called chiselling removes the tooth. The next step is suturing the wound so that the gums heal well.

It is also important to follow the procedure. Usually, the doctor prescribes painkillers (sometimes very strong) and an antibiotic to control the bacteria that can get into the blood from the affected tooth.

Usually, as with any antibiotic therapy, it is necessary to take medications that protect the gastrointestinal tract, i.e. sheaths.

Retained tooth - tooth extraction

The extraction of an impacted tooth most often concerns the canines, although it may also apply to fives, one or two.

Treatment of badly growing teeth is done by applying an individually selected orthodontic appliance. Appropriate adjustment of the apparatus brings the tooth to the right place. But orthodontic treatment should start as soon as possible, when the teeth are not yet tightly aligned in the jaw.

When deciding tosuch treatment should be patient, because bringing the tooth back to the right place may take up to two years. But it is worth persevering, because the correct bite and a nice smile are not only a matter of aesthetic appearance, but also of our he alth.

Incorrect bite and the resulting problems with the precise grinding of food may have a negative impact on the functioning of the digestive tract.

About the authorAnna Jarosz A journalist who has been involved in popularizing he alth education for over 40 years. Winner of many competitions for journalists dealing with medicine and he alth. She received, among others The "Golden OTIS" Trust Award in the "Media and He alth" category, St. Kamil awarded on the occasion of the World Day of the Sick, twice the "Crystal Pen" in the national competition for journalists promoting he alth, and many awards and distinctions in competitions for the "Medical Journalist of the Year" organized by the Polish Association of Journalists for He alth.

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Category:

Dentistry and Orthodontics