What is Impaction?

When our wisdom teeth are the last teeth to erupt into the mouth. By this time, the spaces are already occupied by our other teeth. In most people, there will not be enough space for them to erupt properly. When a wisdom tooth is stopped half way in its eruption, it is said to be 'impacted'

 

 

What happens when the tooth is impacted?

Most of the time, it will be partially exposed into the mouth and food will become trapped around it. The gums around the tooth may get infected and this will lead to pain and abscess formation. Symptoms include pain and swelling of the face and difficulty in mouth opening.

When the wisdom tooth is half erupted, food particles may get trapped and cause decay. Decay may also set in at the tooth in front. If both teeth are badly decayed, both will have to be removed. Besides decay, some buried wisdom teeth can give rise to dental cysts and tumours which will need urgent attention.

How are wisdom teeth removed?

Most usually, a minor surigcal procedure is required. This can be carried out under local anaesthesia alone, or with some sedation. In our clinic, we offer intra-venous sedation for any minor oral surgical procedure. This allows patients to be comfortably sleeping while the procedure is carried out. The intravenous sedation is carried out by our invited team of consultant anaesthesiologists.

Will there be any discomfort afterwards?

As with any surgery, there will be some discomfort on the same day. Generally, a facial swelling will develop the day after and continue for the next three days. With pain killers and cold compress with ice packs, the discomfort and swelling can be minimised effectively. The wound site should be cleaned of food particles with regular mouth rinses after meals and normal tooth brushing should be continued. Removal of stitches are usually done after a week or two.