Should You Ignore Impacted Teeth? Beware of Worse Dental Problems!
Impacted teeth are teeth that have partially erupted or failed to fully erupt due to various reasons. The gums surrounding the crown of an impacted tooth may experience pain and inflammation, which may even lead to caries and loosening of adjacent teeth, resulting in alveolar bone resorption. Do not neglect treatment just because there is no pain. It is essential to choose a formal hospital to extract the impacted teeth to prevent other bodily harms. Do not take impacted teeth lightly, as they may lead to more serious dental diseases!
1. Easy to Cause Caries: Impacted wisdom teeth, due to limited eruption space that cannot meet their growth needs, may cause oblique impaction, directly leaning against adjacent teeth, damaging the normal teeth over time. Additionally, they are prone to accumulating large amounts of food residue and bacteria, leading to caries. Since the caries are not on the occlusal surface, they are not easily detected. When pain occurs, it has already reached acute pulpitis or the crown has been severely damaged, requiring root canal treatment for patients.
2. Easy to Induce Pericoronitis: In some people, impacted teeth are very concealed, with the crown not fully exposed. Large amounts of bacteria and food residue can accumulate under the gingival mucosa surrounding the crown, leading to pericoronitis. In the early stages, pericoronitis may not have obvious symptoms. When overfatigue or a cold reduces the body's resistance and immunity, it can convert into acute pericoronitis. Mild cases of acute pericoronitis may only involve localized pain, while severe cases may include difficulty opening the mouth, cheek swelling, pain when swallowing, and systemic fever. If the tooth is not extracted in time, the condition may recur, forming fistulas or subcutaneous abscesses in the cheek, potentially life-threatening in severe cases. Impacted teeth should be extracted promptly in a formal hospital when inflamed.
Periapical periodontitis caused by caries or pericoronitis may spread to the deep spinal cavity during infection, leading to osteomyelitis. Osteomyelitis patients may experience interstitial infection, severe pain, tooth loosening, and numbness of the lower lip. Additionally, if pericoronitis is not effectively treated, the inflammation may spread to the muscle spaces around the jawbone, causing cheek swelling, difficulty opening the mouth, and pain. Failure to seek medical attention promptly may lead to infection spread, inducing sepsis and intracranial infections, endangering people's lives. Impacted wisdom teeth buried in deep tissues may cause odontogenic jaw cysts and induce temporomandibular joint disorders. Therefore, they should be extracted in a formal hospital without delay. Even if there is no pain, regular dental check-ups should be conducted at the hospital, and any signs of inflammation should be promptly addressed.
