Exposure Of Impacted Teeth In Houston TX: Is It The Ideal Solution?

In simple terms, an impacted tooth is a tooth that did not come out of the gum tissues like it’s supposed to. Its normal eruption into the mouth was hindered by several factors including dense soft tissue, bone, cysts, or another tooth. There are various treatments for an unerupted tooth and these include extraction of the tooth, extraction of the impacted tooth, and surgical exposure of the impacted tooth, just to name some. If you are considering exposure of impacted teeth in Houston TX or elsewhere, here’s some basic information about this treatment that you need to know.

In general, the wisdom tooth is the most common case for impacted teeth and has to be removed to avoid any problems. Next are the maxillary cuspids or the canine and/or eye teeth. Other commonly impacted teeth are the second molars, bicuspids, and the lower jaw cuspids. In general, the older the patient, the lesser is the chance for the impacted tooth to erupt naturally. When you have an impacted tooth that is not your wisdom tooth, early detection is crucial as it can greatly affect the kind of treatment that you’ll have and its success.

If for example, your treatment is exposure of the impacted tooth, this entails exposing the said tooth. Once it is exposed, your dental practitioner will then attach an orthodontic appliance to aid its eruption. A periodontal packing may be attached over the tooth temporarily depending on a patient’s case until his post-operative appointment. Further treatments may be needed to move the tooth properly into the dental arch. During the procedure, a patient may have several anesthetic options including IV sedation, local anesthesia, etc.

In cases when the impacted tooth has to be extracted, the tooth is exposed by cutting away the gum and bone tissues covering the tooth and with the use of forceps, the tooth is moved gently back and forth to loosen its grasp from the jaw bone and ligaments that hold it in place. The extraction of an impacted tooth normally is an option when the tooth in question won’t move despite all the interventions done. When it is the only choice left, dental practitioners often offer treatment solutions that will address the missing tooth.

Don’t let any dental problem keep you from living a full life. Visit Dr. Holly Gregory,DDS today and know what your dental options are.