Impacted tooth (tooth impaction)
An impacted tooth is a tooth that has not erupted yet, or that will never erupt. Such a tooth is covered by gum or even by alveolar bone, et is not visible in the mouth. If the tooth doesn't come out, it might be blocked by other teeth or by some anatomical structures. Another reason why a tooth doesn't come out is because it's lacking eruptive forces, without any know reason, but can be related to local or systémic pathologies. The most frequent impacted teeth that are encountered are wisdom teeth.
Dental and oral problems
References
- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (www.wikipedia.org).
- Medical dictionary by Farlex (www.thefreedictionary.com).
The information above should be used as a reference only. Any medical decision should not be done before consulting a health care professional.
Last update: 30th of May 2012.