Your wisdom teeth typically begin emerging in the late teenage years, but it can take several years for them to erupt fully. When they don't have enough room to erupt through your gums they are referred to as impacted. Impacted wisdom teeth can put pressure on your surrounding teeth and this can move them out of alignment and cause overcrowding in your mouth, which then makes the affected teeth difficult to clean.

Signs Of Impacted Wisdom Teeth 

Impacted wisdom teeth can cause gum tenderness and inflammation, particularly after eating, and tender gums can bleed during teeth brushing. Jaw pain is another common symptom of impacted wisdom teeth, and your jaw may feel stiff. As impacted wisdom teeth try to break through the surface of the gum, you may notice some of your existing teeth begin to move closer together or begin to overlap. Having difficulty flossing is often the first sign that your teeth are moving closer together, and it's best to have impacted wisdom teeth dealt with as quickly as possible to prevent damage to your existing teeth.

How Impacted Wisdom Teeth Are Treated

When wisdom teeth have plenty of room to emerge and are growing straight they can be left alone, but impacted wisdom teeth need to be removed to protect your existing teeth. Your dentist will confirm your wisdom teeth are impacted by taking X-rays, which will show how far they are from the surface of your gum and the angle they are growing in at. If you have a very decayed molar, your dentist may suggest extracting the molar to give the wisdom tooth next to it space to emerge, which would leave you with a new, healthy tooth. Otherwise, the dentist will likely aim to remove all four wisdom teeth at once.

You will have local anaesthetic injected into your gums at the site of your wisdom teeth, and your dentist will then make small incisions in your gums to allow them to access the impacted teeth. Once the teeth are extracted, the incisions in your gums will be closed with dissolvable stitches and you will be given instructions on how to minimise the risk of developing a bacterial infection while your gums heal, which often involves regular rinsing with salted water. You can expect significant swelling to develop and remain for several days after having your wisdom teeth extracted, and you may need to eat a soft diet for a few days due to the swelling.

If you have any concerns about your wisdom teeth emerging, speak to your dentist today.