Adult impacted teeth are teeth that are blocked out by other teeth or tipped in another direction heading toward the roots of other adult teeth. In many cases, the baby version of that adult tooth is still present because the adult tooth is not directly above the baby root to eat away and loosen/remove it. That being said, adult impacted teeth can eat away/resorb the root of another adult tooth it is leaning against/overlapping; thus creating a smaller root for the affected tooth, with a chance of losing that specific tooth. The ultimate goal is to not lose good adult teeth, and to prevent these negative results from happening.

Therefore, and in conjunction with braces, it is recommended to intervene and resolve the above mentioned issues. Removing the baby tooth version of the impacted adult tooth can help to free up the eruption of an impacted tooth even more. Also, orthodontic braces can help to create additional space for such impacted teeth to erupt. Sometimes, if the adult tooth is severely tipped/impacted, it is necessary to surgically expose the crown of the impacted tooth and place a bracket and gold chain (which in conjunction with braces can help to slowly pull the impacted tooth into the proper position). When the impacted tooth erupts enough, an orthodontic brace can be placed on it, and it can be aligned with the other teeth.

We, at Shrewsbury Orthodontics, wish everyone a great day!
Dr. Peter J. Magoulas & Staff

To start, teeth are not in concrete. Every tooth has a root, and around that root is a ligament that allows the tooth some small movement. It is this little bit of play that helps us to prevent fracturing teeth due to the heavy forces of chewing (such as a building or bridge has movement structurally built into them to prevent fracture/damage over years of environmental forces).

When braces are removed, it takes about 2 years for the ligament around the root of the tooth to reattach as well as for the bone around the ligament to solidify properly. That being said, the ligament is still present, and therefore teeth always have continual play (though slight). Over years of enduring the heavy forces of chewing, and without the use of any retainer wear during this period, teeth can play and end up visually moving. As a result, it is suggested (for life) to at least wear your retainer(s) on and off after the first two years of wearing them every night to bed. Wearing your retainers on and off during the month (to bed…for life) can help preserve the beautiful smile that the orthodontist achieved and created.

We, at Shrewsbury Orthodontics, wish everyone a great day!
Dr. Peter J. Magoulas & Staff