Impacted tooth

Alternative names:

dental impaction; tooth, unemerged; unemerged tooth

Symptoms:

• pain or tenderness of the gums (gingiva)
• unpleasant taste when biting down on or near the area
• visible gap where a tooth did not emerge
• bad breath
• redness and swelling of the gums around the impacted tooth
• swollen lymph nodes of the neck (occasionally)
• difficulty opening the mouth (occasionally)
• prolonged headache or jaw ache

Signs and tests:

Examination of the teeth by the dentist may show enlargement of the tissue over the area where a tooth has not emerged, or has emerged only partially. The impacted tooth may be pressing on adjacent teeth. The gums around the area may show signs of infection (such as redness, drainage, and tenderness). As gums swell over impacted wisdom teeth and then drain and tighten, it may feel like the tooth came in and then went back down again.

Dental X-rays confirm the presence of a tooth (or teeth) that has not emerged.