Impacted Wisdom Tooth: Is Emergency Dental Care Needed?
If sharp pain shoots through the back of your mouth, you could have impacted wisdom teeth on your hands. Impacted wisdom teeth can be disruptive and painful without the proper care. Get the facts and emergency dental help you need for your impacted wisdom tooth below.
What Should You Know About Impacted Third Molars?
Impaction refers to permanent teeth that become partially or fully trapped beneath the gums or jawbone. Although impaction can occur in any tooth, the majority of impactions involve the third molars, or wisdom teeth. There are several reasons why wisdom teeth become easily impacted.
Most wisdom teeth become impacted because they don't have enough room in the back of the mouth to emerge from the jaw or gums properly. The lack of room forces some wisdom teeth to grow in awkward and strange positions, such as sideways, angled, or even upside down.
Impacted third molars can gradually cause issues with the rest of your teeth. Impacted teeth can slowly force their way into the tooth sockets of the teeth sitting next to them. The teeth occupying the sockets might move out of their natural alignments to make room for the invading wisdom teeth.
Impacted wisdom teeth can become infected over time. The infection can cause swelling and pain in your mouth, especially if food and bacteria become trapped inside your impacted teeth. Food and bacteria can cause further destruction in your wisdom teeth, including decay.
If your wisdom teeth are impacted or exhibit the symptoms above, seek emergency dental help today.
What Immediate Dental Care Should You Receive?
The most commonly used dental treatment for infected or impacted wisdom teeth is extraction, or the physical removal of teeth. But before an emergency dentist extracts your molars, they'll need to know the:
- position of each wisdom tooth
- extent of the infection in each wisdom tooth
- location of each tooth adjacent to your wisdom teeth
If the infection in your wisdom teeth is so severe that it threatens the rest of your health, you may need to take antibiotics prior to treatment. Once the antibiotics take effect, a dentist will schedule your extractions. Some emergency dentists treat infected wisdom teeth right away. If you wish to know more about an emergency dentist's treatment policies, contact an office immediately.
After the extractions, a dental provider may want to see you again for a follow-up exam. The exam may allow a dental provider to address other concerns you have about your dental health, such as tooth decay and gum disease. A dental office will discuss your follow-up care after you arrive.
For more valuable facts or information about your impacted wisdom teeth, check out sites like https://www.vanyodentistry.com/.