An impacted tooth is one that has not broken through the gum completely and is the result of insufficient space available in the mouth or incorrect angulation.

The most commonly known teeth to be impacted are the wisdom teeth and canine teeth, followed by the premolar teeth.

It is a common practice to expose impacted canine teeth in children between the ages of 9 and 18 – while they are still growing. Quite often exposing the teeth is performed in conjunction with an orthodontist. However, adults too can have issues with impacted teeth. Wisdom teeth on the other hand are normally treated in late teens when the fate of the teeth can be assessed fully.

There are a number of reasons to treat impacted teeth:

• For aesthetic reasons as a child missing one of their front teeth causes facial asymmetry and compromised aesthetics and so moving them into the right position is advisable.
• If a single tooth is impacted there is a chance that chewing will be predominantly to one side.
• Gums can be become quite painful, swollen and bleed if an impacted tooth remains.
• Similarly impacted teeth can be difficult to clean properly leading to not only infections but dental caries.

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