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Wisdom teeth become impacted when there is not enough room in the jaws to allow for all of the teeth to erupt into the mouth. Because the wisdom teeth are the last to erupt, due to insufficient room in the jaws to accommodate more teeth, the wisdom teeth become stuck in the jaws, i.e., impacted. There is a genetic predisposition to tooth impaction.
Eagle syndrome (also termed stylohyoid syndrome, [1] styloid syndrome, [2] stylalgia, [3] styloid-stylohyoid syndrome, [2] or styloid–carotid artery syndrome) [4] is an uncommon condition commonly characterized but not limited to sudden, sharp nerve-like pain in the jaw bone and joint, back of the throat, and base of the tongue, triggered by swallowing, moving the jaw, or turning the neck. [1]
The inferior alveolar nerve (IAN), a branch of the trigeminal nerve (cranial nerve V), is a nerve that runs through the mandible (lower jaw) and supplies sensation to all the lower teeth, the lip and the chin. The lower teeth, and in particular the lower wisdom teeth, can therefore be in close proximity to this nerve.
Wisdom teeth (often notated clinically as M3 for third molar) have long been identified as a source of problems and continue to be the most commonly impacted teeth in the human mouth. Impaction of the wisdom teeth results in a risk of periodontal disease and dental cavities. [29] Impacted wisdom teeth lead to pathology in 12% of cases. [30]
Most often, the cause of impaction is inadequate arch length and space in which to erupt. That is the total length of the alveolar arch is smaller than the tooth arch (the combined mesiodistal width of each tooth). The wisdom teeth (third molars) are frequently impacted because they are the last teeth to erupt in the oral cavity.
For example, the incidence of nerve injury in teens removing third molars is much lower than the incidence in patients 25 and older. [7] This risk increases 10 fold if the tooth is close to the inferior dental canal containing the inferior alveolar nerve (as judged on a dental radiograph). [8]
Pericoronitis is inflammation of the soft tissues surrounding the crown of a partially erupted tooth. [25] The lower wisdom tooth is the last tooth to erupt into the mouth, and is, therefore, more frequently impacted, or stuck, against the other teeth. This leaves the tooth partially erupted into the mouth, and there frequently is a flap of gum ...
The most common and simple treatment is the construction of a specially made acrylic prosthesis that covers the biting surfaces of the teeth and protects the cheek, tongue, and labial mucosa (an occlusal splint). This is either employed in the short term as a habit-breaking intention or more permanently (e.g., wearing the prosthesis each night ...