To get a general idea of what an impacted tooth means, you need to think about the term "retention". In translation, it means "delay" or "hold". When it comes to an impacted wisdom tooth, it means a violation of the eruption process. He, it turns out, as if hidden in the gum. Should an impacted wisdom tooth be removed? We will try to find the answer to this question in this review.
General concepts
What is an impacted wisdom tooth? This is a formed figure eight that cannot break through the gum and jaw. This is a common case, not only a wisdom tooth can be impacted. Sometimes small molars and upper canines get stuck in the bone. But most often it is the eights that are impacted.
Features
Before you begin to deal with all the intricacies of removing an impacted tooth, it is worth considering some of the nuances. Is retention something anomalous? If we are talking about wisdom teeth: the fact that they do not erupt until the age of 25 is quite normal. They canappear after that.
Is a partial eruption of the figure eight a retention? If the tooth begins to appear with one or two tubercles, then it is semi-impacted. This state has its own characteristics. Sometimes it causes more problems than retention.
Must delete?
Many people have a question: is it necessary to get rid of impacted wisdom teeth? There are many examples where the eighth incisor, which has not bothered for years, suddenly became active. In the end, he can still take his rightful place. But in some cases, impacted teeth create quite a big problem. They can affect not only the structure of the jaw, but also the body as a whole.
Reasons
Let's take a closer look at this issue. Sometimes a wisdom tooth erupts for more than a year. This makes the person extremely uncomfortable. There are also cases of quick and painless eruption. Experts cannot agree on why wisdom teeth cannot erupt normally from the gum.
It is believed that the eighth incisors are a vestige. According to the theory, primitive people ate rough food that did not undergo heat treatment. A person needed to make significant efforts when chewing. It was the last teeth in the row that were responsible for processing food more efficiently. Today, people do not need to chew bones and raw meat. Evolution has done its job, and wisdom teeth are no longer needed. But what to do with them now? Over time, humanthe jaw became narrower and more compact. This created particular difficulty for the eights to cut through.
Why does an impacted wisdom tooth appear? The main reasons experts include:
- supernumerary jaw;
- heredity;
- bad food;
- past rickets or other infectious diseases.
The above factors are quite capable of turning a normal tooth into an impacted one. The optimal timing for the eruption of wisdom teeth is considered to be 14-25 years. Sometimes eights appear even earlier. The main thing is that this process does not cause discomfort. If an adult has a wisdom tooth for a long time under the gum in the bone, then it will not be superfluous to check its location. To do this, it is enough to take an x-ray. Some people have no wisdom teeth at all. This feature is typical for 10% of people. In this case, the eights, of course, will not bother.
The main question is whether the sevens will interfere with the eruption of the eights? Such fears take place, since it is the sevens that most often prevent the eruption of wisdom teeth. What to do with an impacted incisor? Do I need to get rid of it right away or can I somehow fix the situation?
Delete or keep?
How to do it right? Many people think that removing an impacted wisdom tooth is a last resort and should only be done if the jaw and gums hurt all the time. Everyone wants the problem to somehow be solved by itself. Is it possible to decideimpacted tooth situation without doing anything?
If a person has no special complaints, and the incisor grows correctly, then there is no point in removing it. However, there are a number of cases in which it is still recommended to get rid of the tooth. Let's analyze these situations.
When should wisdom teeth be removed?
So let's take a closer look at this. Is it necessary to remove an impacted tooth if the patient constantly feels pain. Also, the operation is performed if there is a pronounced inflammatory process, the tooth itself is located in the follicular cyst or is generally incorrectly formed.
It is worth noting that in practice, an impacted incisor is most often removed when serious anomalies and purulent inflammatory processes appear. Surgery can also be done to correct an overbite. Only a dentist can determine if surgery is worth it. Many surgeons believe that it is not necessary to wait until one of the impacted teeth begins to bring discomfort. It's best to remove them immediately. They know what they're talking about, as they often have to deal with some pretty bad cases during appointments.
Difficult teething symptoms
An impacted tooth can stay in the jaw for a long time and not cause discomfort. If there are no obstacles in the way of the incisor, it simply falls into place and grows normally. Usually, in the absence of complicating factors, a wisdom tooth erupts in 2-3 months. In severe cases, the process can take a couple of years. Moreover, if onthere is some obstacle in the path of the figure eight, it may stop growing. Therefore, very often patients say that the wisdom tooth does not erupt immediately, but in stages.
Unpleasant symptoms can occur long before the appearance of the eight on the surface. It is they who make you think about tooth extraction. If there are too many nerve fibers nearby, then simple discomfort can develop into neuritis or neuralgia. Due to the retention of the tooth, follicular cysts can occur around it. From year to year, they can increase in size and eventually lead to serious complications. In acute cases, the temperature may rise and the general condition of the body worsen. There is severe swelling in the area of the tooth. Facial symmetry is broken. This is the last sign that it's time to see a doctor.
When a tooth overcomes the bone barrier and looks out of the gum, there is a feeling that the worst is already behind. In reality, however, things can be much worse. Food particles and bacteria can get under the hood in the gums. As a result, tissues can become inflamed. This condition is scientifically called pericoronitis. In the event of pus, symptoms may appear that interfere with normal life: swelling, fever, inability to chew, severe throbbing pain. With such symptoms, the first thing the patient thinks about is how quickly the impacted tooth can be removed. But there are other ways, for example, dissection of the gingival hood. This procedure is much easier than removing a tooth. PatientAnesthesia is done, after which the overgrown gum is excised with a scalpel, a cotton swab is placed in the oral cavity. The entire procedure takes approximately 10 minutes. However, sometimes this method can provoke a number of unpleasant complications. In some cases, it is necessary to carry out the procedure repeatedly. That is why many dentists recommend removing wisdom teeth at the first sign of difficult teething.
Deletion procedure
What is her speci alty? If all the symptoms indicate that the wisdom tooth will still have to be removed, then you should contact a qualified dentist. How does this procedure take place? Does pain remain after the extraction of impacted teeth? What are the complications?
The removal process begins with anesthesia. Local anesthesia will suffice. This means that you will be conscious, but at the same time you will not feel the surgical intervention at all. Here it must be borne in mind that some people tolerate freezing without any problems, while others experience the so-called ineffective anesthesia. As a rule, the painlessness of the process depends simultaneously on many factors. This is the quality of anesthesia, and the professionalism of the attending physician, and the general condition of the patient. With the observance of the anesthesia technique and the proper organization of the work of the dentist, in 95% of cases you are guaranteed high-quality anesthesia.
The condition of the patient also plays a rather important role. Strong fear and the presence of alcohol in the blood can seriouslyworsen the quality of anesthesia. On average, the removal process takes from 10 minutes to 3 hours. Even experienced maxillofacial surgeons cannot say in advance how long this will take. During the operation, there may be many factors that make the removal process difficult.
Main steps
How is an impacted tooth removed? First, the doctor will instruct, clean the teeth from deposits and carry out antiseptic treatment. After that, the patient is given anesthesia. Then the doctor creates access to the impacted tooth by cutting the gum. The cutter itself is removed using elevators. In some cases, dentists choose to extract each piece in stages. Sawing a tooth out of the jaw helps to quickly achieve a positive effect. Gouging with a chisel delivers much more discomfort. When the removal process is completed, you can begin to stop the bleeding. To do this, preparations based on artificial bone, turundas with analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects are placed in the hole. Sometimes the gums are sutured. This reduces the lumen of the wound and prevents infection.
Reviews of patients
What awaits the patient after an impacted tooth has been removed? Reviews confirm that pain and swelling remain after the operation. In some cases, there is fever and chills. This is a normal defensive reaction of the body. Also, a violation of the chewing function often occurs: it is difficult for the patient to open his mouth, and upon contact with foreign bodies, the gum begins to bleed.
Is it possible to somehow alleviate the consequences of the procedure? Doctors in this regard give several useful recommendations:
- Use cold compresses to relieve swelling after wisdom tooth removal.
- A course of antibiotics is prescribed to reduce the risk of infection.
- To maintain oral hygiene, it is recommended to use special ointments and topical gels.
- Analgesics help get rid of throbbing pain.
Conclusion
Now you know what an impacted tooth means and why it is better to remove it immediately, without waiting for it to start to bring you discomfort. When the first symptoms appear, seek medical attention immediately. If you let this process take its course, you can earn serious complications.
