Many patients suffering from impacted wisdom molars. Molar wisdoms are the last molars in each arch side if you didn’t extracted any molars wisdom should be after the LAST  two permanent molars. Many patients ask if the wisdoms or 3rd molars are erupted in their mouth and i will give you a simple way to know, If you can count three large molars in the end of jaw side then it is erupted if you only find two large molars then it is not erupted. I use the word large molars to distinguish between the small premolars that is located just after the canines and the larger molars that present near the end of the jaw .

So why wisdoms get impacted?

There is many theories explaining this phenomena but it will be overkill to go deep here so we will keep the explanation simple a possible. The wisdoms impacted simply because there is no jaw enough space for them to erupt . This space problem is explained in many ways some authors say that the western soft cooked food is not grinding the teeth from its sides, this grinding was enough to offer space for the wisdoms. Others saying that if the jaw size is small (inherited from one parent ) and the teeth sizes are large (inherited from the other parent  ) this may cause this problem. Any way it just happened

Impaction can be full when the molar is completely under jaw gums or partially  impacted if a small part of it is out in the mouth. The symptoms vary according to the impaction type.

Symptoms of impacted 3rd molars or wisdoms:

Lets say that most of people won’t have any problems with their wisdoms they just erupt in place with no problems and even you won’t notice it. Sometimes the 3rd molars are impacted and not erupted and also not causing any problems and may still silent for years.

some times impacted wisdoms start to make troubles and symptoms this problems includes

1- Pain : pain that is related to the end of the jaw or even sometimes not localized and may extend to the whole face side. The pain type change according to the the case, presence of infection and impaction type .

2-gums swelling, tenderness and redness :

Some times especially in partial impaction  Gums around the area become swollen , red ,tender and hot as a result of infection. Some times in partially impaction a small gum piece (flap) remain over the molar crown and the opposing molar if present bite on this flap causing severe pain on chewing and more inflammation.

3-Face swelling:

some times the inflammation spread and cause swelling in the side of impacted wisdom even the swelling may extend to the eyes which become almost closed(don’t panic we see this every day, but you should see your dentist in the moment) .

4-Food impaction or wedging:

Some times especially in partial impaction when the wisdom is erupt in a anterior angulation food may become impacted between impacted 3rd & second molar which may cause severe pain and gum pocket.

5-fever :

in some severe cases of infection the body temperature may raise as a reaction to infection.

6-bad breath and bad taste :

impacted food, pus formation and some anaerobic bacterial products can cause a salty bad taste and also the breath smell may change.

7-sometimes pus or blood oozing from gums.

8-Inability to open the mouth widely:

Muscles that is responsible of mouth opining lies close to the end of the jaw so any infection in this area can cause muscle stiffness.

9-lymph node tenderness and pain with swallowing food:

the lymph nodes under the lower jaw react to infection and become enlarged and tender which may cause pain with swallowing.

after all once you feel any of the previous symptoms you should visit your dentist quickly to start the treatment early because if you delay the infection may become very annoying and dangerous. till you go to your dentist you may take over the counter pain killers to decrease pain also peroxide mouth wash may help in removal of impacted food  and killing anaerobic bacteria that cause the infection.