- Mesial Impactions – The most common type of wisdom teeth impaction, a mesial impaction, is when the tooth is partially erupted and angled towards the front of the mouth. If you are experiencing pain with your wisdom teeth, a dentist Brisbane or your city has available can examine you and recommend a treatment. Another name for this condition in ‘angled impaction’ and extraction would likely be the best course of action, which the dentist might recommend.
- Vertical Impactions – As the name suggests, this form of impaction results in the erupting tooth remaining at gum level, as it does not have sufficient space to erupt. As the wisdom teeth are at the correct angle, extraction is rarely used, only if the erupting tooth will cause overcrowding. There is less chance of extraction with this form of wisdom teeth impaction, as the tooth is not misaligned, it simply does not have the room required to erupt correctly.
- Horizontal Impactions – This is generally regarded as the most painful type of wisdom teeth impaction, as the tooth is laying to one side, which means the tooth grows sideways rather than up. The tooth needs to be extracted, to release the pressure that overcrowding causes, and this might be a difficult extraction that may require surgery.
- Distal Impactions – This is the rarest form of wisdom teeth impaction, involving teeth that are angled to the back of the mouth. The impacted tooth may be partially or fully impacted, and the dentist would decide the best course of action, which might be extraction. If you are experiencing pain at the back of your mouth, it might be due to wisdom teeth impaction and the only way to find out for sure is to make an appointment with your local dentist.
The experts tell us that human evolution is partly responsible for impacted wisdom teeth, with the human jaw becoming smaller, which leaves less space for the eruption of the wisdom teeth. It is not known if evolution will result in the disappearance of wisdom teeth altogether, which would seem like a natural evolution, and only time will tell.
It is important to visit your dentist every 6 months to have a check-up, which would reveal any overcrowding issues, or any other oral issues such as tooth decay or gum disease. This is especially pertinent for children, and you can make a family appointment for everyone to have an oral examination.
If you are experiencing any discomfort, make an appointment to see your local dentist who can carry out an examination and discover what is causing it.