Tooth impaction is a condition in which a tooth fails to erupt from its gum within the natural development time-frame. It is a very common condition affecting the third pair of molar which is commonly called ‘wisdom teeth’. Most dentists will advise you to extract the impacted tooth. If left inside the gum, it could cause pain and infection. Therefore, it is advised to visit the best dentist in Kolkata and get it extracted.
What are the causes of tooth impaction?
A tooth can impact for any of the given reasons:
- Overcrowding of the gum, leaving no space for the teeth to erupt.
- The tooth growing horizontally, parallel to the gum.
- The tooth growing towards the back of the mouth or towards the next tooth.
Complications caused by an Impacted Tooth :
- When the impacted tooth pushes towards the tooth next to it, there is a chance of it damaging the next tooth and also causing infection in the nearby area.
- Cysts- An impacted wisdom tooth fails to develop inside its sac. The sac therefore is filled with pus, forming a cyst in the process. This cyst can eventually damage the jawbone, nerves and nearby teeth.
- Decay- Partially impacted tooth is prone to decay over a period of time. This is due to the fact that it is very hard to clean. The food particles stuck on it cannot be removed and its long term effect is tooth decay.
- Gum disease- A painful inflammatory gum condition commonly known as pericoronitis can form in the nearby area of an impacted tooth.
