Symptoms of an Impacted Tooth

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Knowing when to seek help for a dental problem is one of the keys to optimal oral health. In particular, there are certain signs and symptoms you should be aware of relating to an impacted tooth. If you suspect you have an impacted tooth in Indianapolis, IN, contact Indiana Emergency Dental right away for help.

Symptoms of an Impacted Tooth

The following are the most common symptoms of an impacted tooth. However, note that symptoms may vary depending upon how the tooth is impacted, and other individual circumstances. If you suspect that you have an impacted tooth, contact your dentist for an official diagnosis and treatment.

Pain and/or Discomfort

Often, an impacted tooth will cause pain and/or chronic discomfort. It may be persistent, throbbing or intermittent, and can range from mild to intense. Sometimes the pain gets worse when biting down on the area, due to the added pressure.

Swelling and Redness

The gum tissue around the affected area often becomes inflamed, causing redness and swelling. You may even notice that your cheek is swollen and tender. If you put your hand to your cheek, there may be a noticeable warmth, too.

Halitosis

Impacted teeth often lead to infection. This infection causes halitosis, commonly called bad breath. It may even manifest as an unpleasant taste in the mouth, or a bad odor in your nose, even though nothing in the outside environment is odorous.

Headache or Earache

Another common symptom of an infected tooth is a headache or earache. This is because pain and pressure often radiates to other areas in the nerve network.

An impacted tooth should never be ignored, as it will always worsen, jeopardizing your other teeth and your overall health. Contact your Indianapolis, IN dentist at Indiana Emergency Dental to learn more or for emergency dental assistance.

What Are Horizontal Impactions?

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There are many reasons why a tooth may need to be extracted. Although the primary goal of your Indianapolis, IN dentist is to preserve all of your natural teeth, sometimes conditions arise, such as a horizontal impaction, where tooth extraction becomes the only solution. If you have been advised that you have a horizontal impaction, you will almost certainly want to learn more about it.

What Are Horizontal Impactions?

Horizontal impactions occur when a tooth can’t emerge above the gum line. Instead, it lies horizontally inside the gums and/or jawbone. Teeth are supposed to align vertically, so this kind of horizontal position makes it impossible for the tooth to function as it should. Most often, a wisdom tooth is horizontally impacted. Thankfully, wisdom teeth are not considered to be essential, so having to extract a tooth of this kind will not negatively affect the bite.

Why Are Extractions Necessary With a Horizontal Impaction?

The individual tooth that is horizontally impacted may cause problems. These include:

  • pain
  • swelling
  • infection
  • formation of cysts
  • alignment problems with abutting teeth

This is why, even if the impacted tooth isn’t painful, it must be extracted.

Why Does This Happen?

There are several reasons why this condition may occur. There may be genetic factors, insufficient space in the jaw for all teeth to properly emerge, late development of wisdom teeth, or another reason. One thing that it’s rarely related to, is oral health. A person may be very vigilant about brushing and flossing and still end up with a wisdom tooth that is horizontally impacted.

If you have a horizontal impaction in Indianapolis, IN, contact Indiana Emergency Dental. We offer a full range of dental services, including treatment for horizontal impaction.