One of the most common issues we treat here at Shirck Orthodontics are impacted teeth, which are teeth that have become blocked as they are trying to erupt into the mouth. This happens quite often with children, and it can lead to all sorts of alignment problems down the road. How can you know if your child has an impacted tooth? If they do, what can you do about it to make sure their teeth come in perfectly straight? Your orthodontist talks impacted teeth in today’s blog!
What Causes Impacted Teeth?
The most basic reason teeth become impacted is because they don’t have enough room to come in properly. This can be due to a number of reasons, such as the jaw not being big enough or because another tooth is physically preventing one from coming in. A tooth may just naturally emerge at an odd angle, one that isn’t conducive to it erupting correctly.
What Are the Symptoms of Impacted Teeth?
Some impacted teeth are completely asymptomatic, but some common symptoms are:
- Pain around the impacted tooth
- Redness or swelling in the gums around the tooth
- Noticeable crowding of the teeth
- A tooth visibly coming in crooked
Is There a Way to Prevent Impacted Teeth?
Unfortunately, it’s extremely difficult to completely stop a tooth from becoming impacted. In the best case scenario, your children’s orthodontist would be able to discover one early so they can begin treating it as quickly as possible so it doesn’t cause any problems for your little one. Getting regular dental checkups is the best way to catch impacted teeth before they can lead to any issues. Of course, once we know a tooth is impacted…
How Are Impacted Teeth Treated?
Now that you know everything about the problem, let’s talk about the solution!
As we mentioned above, treating an impacted tooth as early as possible is the best way to address it. If we’re able to see a child soon enough, Dr. Jeff or Dr. Jen can provide treatments that basically clear the path for the impacted tooth. These may work by aligning the other teeth so they don’t block the tooth or guiding the development of the jaw in order to make enough room. We can tailor a solution to every child’s smile so they get exactly what they need.
By bringing your child in for regular dental checkups and a complete orthodontic evaluation by age 8, we can often head off any issues caused by impacted teeth. We can use digital X-rays during an evaluation to spot an impacted tooth below the gum line so we can get to work fixing it right away.
Come See Us!
Is your child currently dealing with an impacted tooth? Have they had an orthodontic evaluation yet? In either case, we would love to meet you both at a free consultation. With this, you can get to know our friendly team, and we can let you know exactly what your child needs to grow up with a beautiful, healthy smile. To schedule an appointment with your children’s orthodontist, contact us today.