Treatment Options For An Impacted Tooth

Written By Meghan Belnap / Reviewed By Ray Spotts

If you have a tooth that is blocked for some reason from erupting through your gum, or has only partially broken through, then you have an impacted tooth. Many times, you will not even be aware of their existence until they show up on an X-ray during a standard checkup, but they may cause you pain or discomfort as well.

Here are three treatment options for dealing with an impacted tooth.

Monitoring the Situation

If your dentist has located an impacted tooth in your gums by chance, and it really isn’t affecting you in any way, he or she will likely just wait out the situation. By observing the tooth over time for any changes, your dental expert will decide whether further intervention is necessary.

If you diligently keep your general dentistry appointments, this should work out well for you.

Aiding Natural Eruption

Sometimes, the best way to deal with impacted teeth is to use eruption aids to assist with an otherwise natural process. While this works best on younger patients, particularly children, these interventions can help anyone with an impacted tooth.

These aids include brackets, braces, and even surgery to extract baby teeth or adult teeth overcrowding the tooth beneath the surface.

Removing and Replacing the Tooth

If your impacted tooth is causing you pain and you are unable to eat or drink without discomfort, your dentist will most likely suggest extracting the tooth to put a stop to such symptoms. Also, if the tooth is having a negative effect on neighboring teeth, extraction is probably the best course of action, as well.

The extraction surgery is an easy outpatient procedure that only requires local anesthesia, and you can go home the same day. It takes anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour, and it is performed at the dental office.

Simply, the impacted tooth is removed and replaced with a bridge or a dental implant. You can return to work or school after a day or two, and full recovery takes a week to 10 days.

In conclusion, impacted teeth are actually common, and, as such, they are easily treated and recovery is inevitable. If you have an impacted tooth, don’t hesitate to make a dental appointment and have your treatment team look at the issue. If your dentist sees a problem, he or she will assess the situation and let you know which course of action is best for you.

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Written By:
Meghan Belnap is a freelance writer who enjoys spending time with her family. She loves being in the outdoors and exploring new opportunities whenever they arise. Meghan finds happiness in researching new topics that help to expand her horizons. You can often find her buried in a good book or out looking for an adventure. You can connect with her on Facebook right here and Twitter right here.

Reviewed By:

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.