What is an Impacted Tooth?
Primary (baby) teeth erupt through the gums during childhood. Around the age of six, these teeth begin to fall out and adult teeth begin to emerge.
Permanent teeth can erupt unnaturally in some circumstances, causing issues later on. An impacted tooth, for example, is one that does not fully emerge or emerges just partially.
To prevent dental crowding and other problems, an impacted tooth must usually be surgically removed or exposed.
Causes of a Missing Tooth
- Overcrowding in the dental arch is the most common cause of an impacted tooth. Because there isn't enough room in your jaw, your teeth may grow crooked and overlap.
- An impacted tooth can also be caused by the following factors:
- Dental Trauma – a traumatic dental injury might cause a tooth to erupt later than expected, resulting in an impacted tooth. The upper jaw's incisors are the most typically affected.
- Baby teeth that loosen but then tighten back into the gums, inhibiting the eruption of permanent teeth, are known as over-retained baby teeth.
- These teeth are usually extracted by dentists and oral surgeons to allow for the appropriate eruption of permanent teeth. Dental crowding, which can lead to impacted teeth, is prevalent if they are not removed.
- This is especially frequent in wisdom teeth (third molars).
- People with extra teeth are known as people with supernumerary teeth. Extra teeth can cause maxillary incisors to become impacted (the front teeth in the upper jaw).