Each individual wisdom tooth is unique and depending on how it grows, it can have different impact on bones and/or tissues. Their varied developments such as impaction, horizontal or slant placement may effect other teeth and cause troubles. They have to extracted out and is a highly skillful job being performed by our Maxillofacial surgeon.

The following 4 impactions are commonly found in patients cases.

If the impaction is between the third molar and part of the second molar, this kind is called bone impaction. It can subcategorized into vertical, horizontal, and angular depending on the way they are intersecting.

• Bone Impaction (Vertical)
  Impaction would cause pathosis inside the cheek bone or jaw bone.
• Bone Impaction (Horizontal)
  Besides leading pathosis, horizontal placement would hurt the hard tissue of the second molar to cause toothache and cavities.
• Bone Impaction (Angular)
  Besides leading pathosis, angular placement would hurt the hard tissue of the second molar to cause toothache and cavities.

Left: Bone Impaction (vertical) Middle: Bone Impaction (horizontal) Right: Bone Impaction (angular)

The last one is called tissue impaction, because the wisdom tooth is directly breaking out of the tissue.

• Tissue Impaction
  The wisdom tooth almost erupts out of gum, or its half erupts out of gum to cause pseudo-pocket. Besides leading pathosis, it easily tracts food debris and causes gum irritation.

Tissue Impaction

Only under the X-Ray can these impactions be clearly identified.

Removal of Impacted Wisdom Tooth

The following shows how to remove the impacted wisdom tooth (bone impaction).

1. Locate the impacted wisdom tooth. (left) 2. Incise soft tissue to open. (middle) 3. Remove overlying bone to expose the tooth crown. (middle) 4. Extract the tooth out by whole or in pieces. (middle) 5. Suture the soft tissue back. (right)

This procedure is only needed when your wisdom teeth start to bother you, or upon your dentist recommendation.

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