Wisdom Teeth in Sarasota, FL
Impacted Wisdom Teeth
When there isn’t enough room for wisdom teeth to come in, they become trapped, or impacted, beneath the gum or bone. Our oral surgeons evaluate impacted third molars and recommend the safest path forward.
The Basics
What is an impacted tooth?
Although most people grow 32 permanent adult teeth, the jaw is often too small to accommodate the four wisdom teeth. When there isn’t enough space for them to erupt, they are called impacted wisdom teeth — meaning they cannot reach their proper position for chewing and cleaning. Impacted teeth may stay fully buried, or push through only partway, where they are difficult to keep clean and prone to problems.
Diagnosis
Types of impactions
We will need to see you for a consultation to determine whether you would benefit from wisdom teeth removal. A special panoramic x-ray of your mouth and jaws shows whether your wisdom teeth are impacted, whether there is room for them to erupt, and how complex removal would be. Impactions generally fall into three categories:
- Soft tissue impaction — there is not enough room for the gum tissue to retract so the tooth can be adequately cleaned.
- Partial bony impaction — there is enough space for the tooth to partly erupt, but it cannot function properly in chewing and creates cleaning problems.
- Complete bony impaction — there is no space for the tooth to erupt. It stays embedded in the jawbone and requires more complex surgical techniques to remove.
Illustrated
The three types of impaction
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Soft tissue impaction
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Partial bony impaction
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Complete bony impaction
Why It Matters
Why impacted wisdom teeth should be evaluated
Left untreated, impacted wisdom teeth can lead to infection, decay in neighboring teeth, gum disease, crowding and, in some cases, cysts that damage the jawbone. Because these problems develop slowly and out of sight, an evaluation lets your surgeon catch trouble early — and removal is usually simpler in the late teens and early twenties, before the roots are fully formed.
Why Choose Us
Why choose Sarasota Oral & Implant Surgery?
Our oral and maxillofacial surgeons bring both medical and dental training to every procedure, so you get expert diagnosis and comfortable, precise care from consultation to recovery.
- Dual-degree surgeons (DMD and MD) with advanced anesthesia training
- Board-certified Diplomates of the American Board of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
- Decades of experience across thousands of successful cases
- 3D imaging and modern technology for precise, predictable results
- A full range of sedation and comfort options
- Convenient locations across the Sarasota area
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all impacted wisdom teeth need to be removed?
Not always, but many do. If an impacted tooth is causing pain, infection, decay or crowding — or is likely to — removal is usually recommended. Your surgeon reviews a panoramic x-ray to decide whether monitoring or removal is safer for you.
Are impacted wisdom teeth painful?
They can be, but not always. Some cause pain, swelling or infection, while others stay symptom-free for years even as they damage nearby teeth or bone — which is why an evaluation matters even when there is no pain.
How are impacted wisdom teeth diagnosed?
A panoramic x-ray of your jaws shows the position of each wisdom tooth, whether there is room for it to erupt, and how complex removal would be. Your surgeon uses it to plan the safest, most comfortable treatment.
