Impacted teeth are referred to those permanent teeth which for some reasons have not erupted beyond the gums or have only erupted partially. This is relatively a very common problem which does not cause any serious complications. But for some others, these harmless teeth can pose a serious threat to health complications like excruciating gum pain, bite misalignment etc. The wisdom tooth or the third molars become impacted frequently. Read below to know the reason why these teeth become impacted and what are the probable symptoms.

Causes of impacted teeth
Read below to know about some of the probable causes of teeth being impacted.

• Overcrowding of teeth
  If your mouth is already overcrowded with the permanent set of teeth, the chances of the third molars from fully erupting are relatively less. That is to say, if the jaw does not have sufficient space for new teeth, it can prevent the new tooth from erupting. The wisdom tooth typically begins to erupt in between 17 to 21 years of age when the jaw stops growing further. Due to this reason, the jaw becomes too small to accommodate any new tooth. Moreover, the wisdom tooth has typically no use in reality so they are often removed if they post any problem. Otherwise, if the jaw is too small then the wisdom teeth remain as impacted teeth.
• Genetics
  Sometimes impacted teeth are the result of genes that have passed down from the forefathers. Orthodontic treatments are the only solutions in such cases. Apart from the third molars, the maxillary canines also become impacted. But in contrast to the wisdom teeth, the maxillary canines have a lot to do in your mouth. Therefore instead of removing those teeth, the doctor tries out ways for their full eruption.
• Tooth displacement
  If any of the teeth are displaced in the mouth then it may emerge from an odd angle thus preventing the full eruption of the third molars or the wisdom teeth.

Symptoms of impacted teeth
Fully impacted teeth show no symptoms, but teeth that are partially impacted often show symptoms like painful gums. Read below to know more about the possible symptoms. Symptoms may go after a few days and may recur again after a few weeks or even after months.

• Bad breathe
  If you experience foul breathe and a loss of taste in your mouth then it may be a symptom of some teeth being impacted.
• Trouble opening and closing of the mouth
  Due to teeth impaction, the mouth begins to swell and as a result, it becomes very difficult to open and close the mouth.
• Chronic headaches
  Teeth impaction may sometimes strain the nerves reaching the brain which results in painful headaches that sometimes become unbearable. Sometimes the area around the eyes also begins to experience excruciating pain.
• Swollen gums
  The gums around the area of the impacted tooth become swollen and red because of the inability of the tooth to fully erupt beyond the gums.

Thus as soon as you notice any of these symptoms it may trigger towards impacted teeth that need immediate treatment if the pain aggravates.