I have always been an avid hockey player, and my love took a bad turn one day when I got struck in the mouth with the puck. It was a painful moment that left me with two teeth knocked out of my mouth. Had I taken the right steps after the accident, I could have possibly saved the teeth, but I did not know I had that option at the time. Thankfully, I worked up the courage to visit a dentist and ask what my options for teeth-replacement were. I was worried I would would have to live the rest of my life without smiling, but I was ecstatic to learn that I was the perfect candidate for dental implants. I created this blog to help others realize that there are so many options to replace missing teeth today that no one has to "just live with" an imperfect smile!
Impacted teeth are teeth that are unable to erupt through the gum tissue. This issue most commonly affects the wisdom teeth; however, your canine teeth can also become impacted. Occasionally, impactions can be partial, which means that the teeth have partially broken through the gums.
Impacted teeth do not always cause symptoms and are sometimes only revealed in a dental x-ray. When symptoms are present, they may include pain when chewing and opening your mouth, an unpleasant taste in your mouth when biting down, and bleeding gums. Here are some effective treatment options your family dentist may recommend if you have an impacted tooth.
Eruption Treatments
Impacted canine teeth may respond to eruption treatments, which help the teeth erupt through the gum tissue. Eruption treatments include braces. While orthodontic treatment is very effective, it is not an immediate solution because it takes time for the hardware to ease the teeth into place.
Following a comprehensive dental examination and x-rays, the family dentist will assess the extent of the impaction and, if warranted, refer the patient to an orthodontist for further assessment.
If other teeth are blocking the canines from properly erupting through the gum tissue, they may need to be extracted before the braces treatment can be initiated. If these treatment options are ineffective at bringing the canines down into proper position, the impacted teeth may require extraction. After the impacted canine teeth have been extracted, your dentist may recommend dental implants to replace them.
Pain Management
Pain from impacted teeth can be chronic or it may come and go. Over-the-counter pain medications such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen can provide you with temporary relief from your pain. If you also have gum inflammation as a result of your impaction, ibuprofen may be a better choice because it is an anti-inflammatory medication and acetaminophen is not.
Aspirin is also effective against dental pain and gum inflammation, but it should only be taken by adults because it can raise the risk for a serious condition known as Reye's syndrome in children.
In addition to pain medication, applying ice to the affected area can also help relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Furthermore, rinsing your mouth with salt water can also soothe your discomfort and reduce soft tissue swelling.
If you have impacted teeth, make an appointment with your family dentist. It is important to note that not all impactions require immediate treatment. If your dental impactions are not causing symptoms, your dentist may simply recommend waiting and monitoring your dental health because some impactions can resolve on their own.
Share2 December 2021
