What Causes Impacted Teeth?

Impacted teeth are teeth that do not emerge properly from the bone or gums. This issue frequently occurs in children who are growing their baby or adult teeth. Likewise, young adults often have impacted wisdom teeth. The main reason why teeth become impacted is due to a lack of space. Smaller mouths do not have enough room for teeth to develop properly. Because the space is too tight, teeth are overcrowded and are forced to grow in alternative directions. Ideally, a tooth will grow straight up from the bone and through the gums. However, when another tooth blocks its path, it must grow in a different direction.

Impacted teeth are never ideal and can lead to many additional complications. For starters, they can cause gum soreness, headaches, tooth aches, and other discomfort. Besides the pain, impacted teeth can cause long-term problems such as tooth decay, cracked teeth, periodontal disease, abscesses, and more issues.

The best way to prevent an impacted tooth is to have regular appointments at a dentist's office. An oral surgeon can perform x-rays on your teeth to ensure they are growing properly. Ideally, you should check in every six months, so your dentist can catch any issues before they cause long-term damage.

If you happen to be near the Niagara Falls, Cheektowaga, Williamsville, Buffalo, Amherst, Orchard Park, Clarence, East Amherst, Tonawanda, or Lancaster, NY areas, we welcome you to schedule an appointment with our oral surgeon. Don’t wait for the tooth pain to start and contact us today!