What is an impacted tooth? It is a tooth that stays trapped under the gum or jaw bone because bone, gum tissue or another tooth blocks its path. Wisdom teeth are the usual culprits. An exam and X-rays confirm it, and Restorative Dentistry may help repair any damage nearby.
By Dr. Eric Lernor, DDS, Family Dentist, Lernor Family Dental
What Is an Impacted Tooth?
A tooth is impacted when it cannot erupt, meaning push up through the gum, into its proper position. Something stands in the way: jaw bone, thick gum tissue, or another tooth. Dentists call this problem impaction and describe it by how much of the tooth has surfaced and which way it points.
- Partial impaction: Part of the tooth breaks through, but a flap of tissue still covers some of it.
- Full impaction: The whole tooth stays beneath the gum, sometimes locked in bone.
- Angled impaction: The tooth tilts forward, backward or sideways, often pressing on neighboring teeth.
Patients often ask, "What is an impacted tooth, and does it always hurt?" No. Many cause no pain at all, so they are often found by chance on routine imaging.
What does it mean when a tooth is impacted?
It means the tooth exists but cannot reach its place in the bite. Wisdom teeth, also called the third molar, are the teeth most commonly affected. They arrive last, usually in the late teens or early twenties, and the jaw often has no room left. Canines and premolars can be stuck too. Some teeth impacted this way stay quiet for life. Others push on other teeth, trap food or invite infections in the surrounding tissue.
What causes an impacted tooth?
Crowding is the usual reason: the jaw is too small for every tooth. Other causes include:
- A tooth that grows in at an angle
- Baby teeth that stay too long, so the adult tooth cannot follow its path
- Extra teeth, or a cyst (a fluid-filled sac) in the jaw
- Inherited traits such as tooth size, which often run in families
No single cause explains every case.
What Are Impacted Wisdom Tooth Symptoms?
Many people feel nothing, so regular checkups matter. When an impacted wisdom tooth does act up, the signs below are typical. They are clues, not a diagnosis, and only an examination can say what sits behind them.
| Sign | What may be behind it |
|---|---|
| Tenderness or swelling at the back of the mouth | Irritated gum tissue over a partly erupted tooth |
| Bad breath or a bad taste | Food and bacteria trapped under a tissue flap |
| Jaw ache or stiffness when opening mouth wide | Inflammation near the jaw muscles |
| Pain in the next tooth forward | Pressure or decay on the second molar |
| Red, puffy gum and pain when biting | Possible pericoronitis |
What is pericoronitis?
Pericoronitis is swelling and infection in the gum tissue around a partly erupted tooth, most often a lower third molar (wisdom tooth). The flap traps food and bacteria, and the area turns red and sore. Mild flare-ups may settle after a professional cleaning, but repeat episodes often lead to a talk about extraction. Fever, a swollen face or swallowing difficulties call for same-day care. Lernor Family Dental keeps a 24 hour emergency line for urgent pain or swelling.
How do you know if you have an impacted tooth?
You cannot tell from symptoms alone, and an article cannot tell you either. The doctor checks the tissue around your back teeth and takes X-rays. A panoramic image shows the whole mouth in one picture, including teeth still hidden below the surface. Clues worth a visit: a missing tooth that should have arrived, a baby tooth that will not fall out, a bump on the gum line, or lasting pain at the back of the mouth.
Do Impacted Wisdom Teeth Need to Be Removed?
Not always. A tooth with no symptoms, no decay and no harm to neighboring teeth can often be monitored with X-rays, and regular dental cleanings give your dentist a steady point to recheck it. Your dentist decides whether watching or acting fits your mouth.
Other treatments, such as monitoring or infection care, often come first. Removal, called extraction, may come up when:
- Pericoronitis keeps returning
- Decay develops in the wisdom tooth or its neighbor
- Cysts form around the tooth, or the bone around it changes
- The tooth presses on the second molar and threatens its root
- Orthodontic treatment needs the space
Depending on how deep the tooth sits, a general dentist or an oral surgeon, a specialist in surgery of the mouth, may handle the removal. Your exam and imaging show which route applies. Comfort options range from local numbing to sedation, medicine that relaxes you or lets you sleep through the visit, and the provider chooses with you based on your health. Sedation decisions weigh your medical history and how long the visit is likely to run. Possible complications include dry socket, infection and, rarely, nerve irritation, so the provider reviews root shape and nerve position first to anticipate difficulties.
Can an impacted tooth go away or heal on its own?
Rarely in adults. It seldom moves into place by itself, and it does not dissolve. Pain often fades when swelling settles, which can feel like healing, yet the tooth is still trapped and infections can return. In teens, a tooth still forming may shift, so the provider often rechecks before acting.
What Is an Impacted Canine and How Is It Treated?
For parents asking, "What is an impacted tooth in a child?" the answer is often a canine that has lost its way. The canine is the pointed tooth beside the front incisors, and it anchors the bite at the corner of the mouth. An impacted canine is often spotted on X-rays in childhood or the teen years, when it sits off its path. Clues include an adult canine that has not appeared by the early teens, a baby canine still in place, or a bump on the gum.
Canine treatments usually pair surgery with orthodontics, the branch of dentistry that moves teeth. An oral surgeon uncovers the tooth by opening the gum tissue over it and attaches a small bracket. An orthodontist then uses braces to guide it into proper position over time. If the tooth lies too far off course, the team may recommend extraction and a plan for the space.
A baby tooth that will not fall out is another clue. When baby teeth outstay their time, the adult tooth may erupt behind them or stay hidden. Imaging shows where the adult tooth is heading, and removing the stubborn baby tooth may give it room. Children's visits are where that timing gets watched, and pediatric dental checkups can include X-rays when a tooth runs late.
Is an impacted canine tooth serious?
It can be. Canines guide the bite and shape the smile, and a trapped one may press on the roots of neighboring teeth, form a cyst or leave a visible gap. Left alone, a trapped canine may bring further complications. Most are not emergencies, and finding one early usually leaves more options, including orthodontic treatment that brings the tooth down. An orthodontist or your dentist judges how serious a particular case is.
What Are the Treatment Options for an Impacted Tooth?
The right treatments depend on which tooth is stuck, whether it hurts and what it is doing to other teeth around it.
| Option | Typical situation | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | No symptoms and no damage | Periodic checkups and imaging |
| Infection care | A pericoronitis flare | Cleaning the area and treating the infection |
| Extraction | Repeat infections, decay or cysts | Removal with numbing, sometimes sedation |
| Exposure plus orthodontics | An impacted canine | Gum opened, bracket placed, braces guide the tooth |
| Restorative repair | A neighboring tooth was damaged | A filling or crown on the affected tooth |
A consultation starts with an examination and X-rays, and the Book Appointment page is the quickest way to set one up so you leave knowing which of these options fits.
Common Questions About Impacted Teeth
Is removing an impacted tooth painful?
The area is numbed first, so most people feel pressure rather than sharp pain during the procedure. Sedation may be offered for anxious patients or deeper teeth. Soreness, swelling and tenderness often follow for several days. The dentist or oral surgeon gives aftercare steps and explains what to expect for your own case.
What happens if you don't fix an impacted tooth?
It depends on the tooth. A symptom-free one may stay quiet for years and simply be watched. Others may lead to repeated infections, decay, cysts, or crowding and root damage to other teeth, which are the complications dentists watch for. Because nobody can predict which, an exam and imaging are the way to judge the risk for your mouth.
Can impacted wisdom teeth cause bad breath?
They may. A partly erupted third molar can leave a tissue flap where food and bacteria collect, and that trapped debris is associated with a bad taste and bad breath, often alongside swelling or tenderness. Brushing and flossing help, but persistent symptoms deserve an exam to find the actual cause.
How do dentists treat impacted teeth?
Treatments depend on the tooth and the reason it is stuck. Options include watching it over time, treating an infection, removing the tooth, or exposing it and guiding it into place with orthodontics. Your dentist reviews the exam and imaging, explains each choice, and refers you to an oral surgeon or orthodontist when the case calls for one.
Get Clear Answers About Tooth Pain in Scottsdale
Since 2003, Lernor Family Dental has helped Scottsdale families sort out tooth pain, and a consultation with imaging is how we explain your options. Send your questions to the team through the Contact page.