{"id":8361,"date":"2021-09-10T08:37:51","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T12:37:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.opencare.com\/blog\/?p=8361"},"modified":"2021-08-18T16:41:28","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T20:41:28","slug":"impacted-wisdom-teeth-causes-symptoms-and-treatment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.opencare.com\/blog\/impacted-wisdom-teeth-causes-symptoms-and-treatment\/","title":{"rendered":"Impacted wisdom teeth: Causes, symptoms, and treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 5<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

Many people have heard of one or more teeth being \u201cimpacted,\u201d especially when it comes to wisdom teeth in young adults. These teeth linger below the surface of your gums, and they are intended to emerge from the gum tissue.But, for one reason or another, they can\u2019t.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read on learn about the causes, symptoms, and treatment options for impacted teeth.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is an impacted tooth?<\/span><\/h2>\n

We already hinted at it, but impacted teeth are teeth that have been inhibited from breaking through the gum line. It is also possible to have a partially impacted tooth. This happens when a tooth that has broken through the soft tissue a little bit is now stuck and can\u2019t get all the way through.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where do these impacted teeth come from? Surprisingly, you are born with all your teeth. The primary, or baby, teeth emerge first. These teeth become loose and come out, to be replaced by your permanent teeth which begin to grow in. Children develop one set of molars around age 6, the second molars around age 12, and the third molars which are often referred to as \u201cwisdom teeth\u201d come later.<\/span><\/p>\n

The most common teeth to become impacted are the wisdom teeth. This last set of molars comes in when people are around 17 to 21 years of age. They are called wisdom teeth because you are supposedly \u201cwiser\u201d by the time they come in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though these last teeth are nearly always present, for some people they never erupt and emerge through the gum tissue. By the time they are ready to come in, the jawbone has stopped growing and many times there is not enough space for them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, even if they don\u2019t erupt, impacted wisdom teeth can negatively affect the rest of your teeth. They may push on adjacent teeth, knocking them out of position, and therefore they usually need to be removed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Symptoms of impacted teeth<\/span><\/h2>\n

How do you know if you have an impacted tooth? Sometimes, there is no way to know that you have an unerupted tooth unless your dentist takes an x-ray and discovers it there, waiting below the surface.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other times you may experience some uncomfortable or downright painful symptoms. This may includ:<\/span><\/p>\n