Impacted Teeth

Impacted teeth are teeth that do not erupt into the mouth. Impacted teeth can occur due to the following reasons:

• Insufficient space for teeth in the jaw
• Abnormal position of tooth forming tissue during tooth development
• Cystic sacs surrounding impacted teeth preventing normal eruption into the mouth
• Early accidental trauma to baby teeth leading to displacement and impaction of underlying developing permanent teeth

There are many consequences from impacted teeth. They can cause misalignment of erupting adjacent teeth resulting in crooked or spaced adult teeth. Impacted teeth can cause damage to the roots of adjacent teeth resulting in tooth loss.

The first slide shows an impacted upper right central and lateral incisor due to abnormal formation in the jaw. The second slide shows left and right impacted cuspids with cystic areas around their crowns. These cystic areas have damaged the roots (root resorption) of the adjacent permanent lateral incisors.

In most cases, if impacted teeth are detected early in development, the negative consequences can be minimized and the impacted teeth can be safely aligned with orthodontic treatment.