What Does Impaction Mean?Oct 13 2021

Impaction of a tooth means one of two things:

1. A tooth has not come in yet, in other words, it hasn’t erupted.
2. A tooth can’t erupt because there isn’t enough room for it to come in.

A tooth can have a hard time coming in because it is coming in at the wrong spot or in the wrong position. The cause of an impacted tooth isn’t really known, it just can happen randomly. You may be more likely to have one if your parents have had them too. The most common teeth to be impacted are wisdom teeth, which is why so many get them removed. They just don’t fit.

Children in the process of losing teeth may have impacted adult, or permanent, teeth, because a tooth hadn’t fallen out yet. They’re waiting their turn.

Impacted teeth can cause overcrowding of the mouth, which may lead to needing teeth removed. If teeth become too crowded, it can cause even more problems by pushing teeth already erupted into incorrect places. This can cause pain and affect appearance of teeth.

If you are worried that you may have a tooth coming in wrong or impacted, an orthodontist to find and treat the problem before it is fully formed.

Dr. Warner can always look at it, and instruct you further!