How serious is an impacted wisdom tooth

Summary

• Wisdom teeth are the last molars that usually come through during your late teens or early 20s.
• Not everyone has wisdom teeth, and not all wisdom teeth cause problems or need to be removed.
• Some wisdom teeth can cause dental problems including overcrowding, impaction (wisdom tooth pushes into gum or another tooth) and cause decay and infection, leading to pain, difficulty chewing and bad breath.
• If wisdom teeth are causing problems have them looked at by your oral health professional.

This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:

This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:

Related information

• If you don’t have enough calcium in your diet, your bones will eventually become weak and brittle.

• Most cleft palates and cleft lips can be repaired so that appearance and speech develop normally.

• Cold sores are blisters around the mouth and nose, caused by the herpes simplex virus.

• Discoloured, chipped or missing teeth can affect self-confidence but cosmetic dentistry techniques can help.

• Dental anxiety is common, but there are ways to help you manage it. Talk to your dentist about which strategies are right for you.

Content disclaimer

Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional. The information and materials contained on this website are not intended to constitute a comprehensive guide concerning all aspects of the therapy, product or treatment described on the website. All users are urged to always seek advice from a registered health care professional for diagnosis and answers to their medical questions and to ascertain whether the particular therapy, service, product or treatment described on the website is suitable in their circumstances. The State of Victoria and the Department of Health shall not bear any liability for reliance by any user on the materials contained on this website.

Wisdom teeth typically emerge between the ages of 17 and 25. Unfortunately, as the last teeth in the dental arch, there is often inadequate room for them to emerge correctly. This causes your wisdom teeth to emerge crooked or fail to erupt, leading to impaction.

Impaction can cause numerous oral health issues, including crooked teeth, misalignment, tooth decay, gum disease, and a dental abscess. About 72% of adults will experience at least one impacted wisdom tooth.

Learn more about the signs and symptoms of an impacted wisdom tooth and visit your dentist regularly for check-ups to monitor how it is affecting your oral health.

Types of Impacted Wisdom Teeth

Several types of impaction can influence the kind of symptoms you may experience.

• Mesial impaction: This is the most common type of impaction and occurs when the wisdom tooth crown angles toward the front of the mouth.
• Distal impaction: This is the least common type of impaction and occurs when the wisdom tooth angles itself toward the back of the mouth.
• Vertical impaction: This occurs when the tooth is trapped beneath the gums despite being in the correct position.
• Horizontal impaction: This type of impaction occurs when the wisdom tooth is trapped beneath the gums completely horizontally and puts pressure on the adjacent teeth.

Each of these impaction types can occur in the hard or soft tissue. A soft tissue impaction means the wisdom tooth has erupted from the jawbone but failed to emerge through the gum tissue. A hard tissue impaction means the wisdom tooth is still completely covered by gum tissue and jawbone.

While some people may have no issues with their wisdom teeth, many others experience uncomfortable and, sometimes, dangerous symptoms that adversely affect their oral health, such as:

1. Irritated gums

Red, swollen, tender, or irritated gums near the wisdom tooth are a sign of impaction. Gum tissue surrounding the wisdom tooth is prone to infection, leading to gum disease.

2. Jaw pain

This symptom is particularly prevalent in the case of hard tissue impaction. The pressure of the wisdom teeth in the adjacent teeth can cause intense discomfort. Wisdom teeth have a high rate of decay and can cause cavities in neighboring teeth. These cavities can cause pulp infections, damaging blood vessels and nerves, leading to pain that radiates to the jaw.

Additionally, if a cyst forms at the base of the impacted tooth, it can deteriorate the jaw bone tissue. Pain and inflammation can make it difficult to open and close your jaw properly.

3. Swelling

Swelling can occur in the jaw in the case of a hard tissue impaction, while swelling in the gums can indicate a soft tissue impaction. An impacted tooth can also develop a severe infection due to deep decay; this creates a pocket of pus at the tooth’s root or gum, called an abscess.

Swollen cheeks, jaw, or neck indicate severe inflammation due to the infection and require immediate treatment; an abscessed wisdom tooth can spread the infection to other body parts and potentially become life-threatening.

4. Halitosis

Bad breath is a sign of a potentially infected impaction. This can also present itself as a foul taste in the mouth. Bacteria that cause infections like pericoronitis feed off the sugars found in food debris that becomes lodged in the area around your wisdom teeth. As they metabolize the food, they produce sulfur which gives your breath a rotten egg smell.

5. Damaged teeth

Other teeth can be damaged by the pressure from the impacted wisdom teeth. Impaction can cause crowding in your adjacent teeth, making it challenging to clean between them. This increases your risk of tooth decay and gum disease.

Treating an Impacted Wisdom Tooth

It is important to get impacted wisdom teeth treated quickly to avoid complications. If the wisdom tooth is partially erupted, cutting the nearby soft tissue, horizontally impacted, or broken, you may need to have the tooth removed.

If the impacted wisdom tooth is not causing any other issues, it may just need monitoring from a dentist to ensure no complications develop.

Impacted Wisdom Tooth Treatment at Blue Island Smiles

Are you concerned that your wisdom tooth may be impacted? Call Blue Island Smiles at (708) 371-3844 to schedule a dental exam.

What happens if you leave impacted wisdom teeth untreated?

Is wisdom tooth impaction an emergency?

Can you live with impacted wisdom teeth?

How do they fix an impacted wisdom tooth?