Why Your Gum Tissue Is Covering Part of Your Wisdom Tooth
Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to erupt into the jaw. And for most people, this occurs somewhere between the ages of 18 and 21. Unfortunately, because wisdom teeth are the last of the full set of 32 teeth to erupt, they sometimes encounter problems with spacing. This issue usually results in a painful condition called impaction, where a tooth only partially erupts.
If one of your wisdom teeth has only partially erupted, you are probably in significant pain. The best course of treatment might be wisdom tooth removal. But first, you probably want to know why it is happening and what it means for your oral health.
Wisdom Teeth Don't Always Have Enough Room
By the time a person's wisdom teeth erupt, their jawbone has gone through numerous changes. For instance, the human jawbone doesn't stop growing until somewhere between the ages of 13-15 for girls and 16-18 for boys. And during its growth, things like tooth loss and even diet can affect the way the jawbone grows. Sometimes, by the time the wisdom teeth erupt, there isn't enough room.
A Lack of Space Traps Wisdom Teeth
Tooth impaction refers to the condition wherein teeth begin to erupt but because of a lack of space in the jawbone, they struggle to make it all the way through. In some cases, wisdom teeth lodge partially in the jawbone. In other cases, wisdom teeth lodge in the gum tissue. In both cases, the patient experiences considerable pain.
Some of this pain occurs because of the gum tissue that partially covers the partially erupted wisdom tooth.
The Gum Flap Becomes Infected
When a wisdom tooth cannot erupt all the way, it remains under a portion of the gum tissue that it was supposed to break through during the eruption process. This flap of gum tissue might not hurt at all — until infection sets in. Because the flap of gum tissue only partially covers the wisdom tooth, there is enough room for food particles and bacteria to find their way under that gum tissue.
Unfortunately, even excellent oral health practices might not be able to prevent the gum flap covering a wisdom tooth from becoming infected. And once infected, a gum flap can become swollen and inflamed, causing the sufferer considerable pain.
If this has happened to you, you'll need to see your dentist to have the area cleaned. They might also prescribe you with some antibiotics to stop the infection. Once the infection has passed, consider removing the wisdom tooth; otherwise, the condition could return.
Contact your dentist to begin talking about wisdom teeth removal.
Share
