Impacted Wisdom Teeth

What Are Wisdom Teeth?

Third molars are commonly referred to as wisdom teeth. They are usually the last teeth to develop and are located in the back of your mouth, behind your second molars. Their development is usually completed between the middle teenage years and early twenties, a time traditionally associated with the onset of maturity and the attainment of wisdom.

Wisdom Teeth Presentation

To provide you with a better understanding of wisdom teeth, we have provided the following multimedia presentation. Many common questions pertaining to wisdom teeth are discussed.

What Is An Impacted Tooth?

Although most people develop and grow 32 permanent adult teeth, many times their jaws are too small to accommodate the four wisdom teeth. When inadequate space prevents the teeth from erupting they are called impacted. This indicates their inability to erupt into the proper position for chewing and cleaning.

A diagram half mouth X-ray with teeth impaction and half digital graphic highlighting impacted teeth

Types Of Impactions

We will need to see you for a consultation to determine if you will benefit from wisdom tooth removal. A special x-ray of your mouth and jaws (panorex) will be taken to determine if your wisdom teeth are impacted, if there is room for them to erupt, and how difficult it will be to have them removed.

  • Soft Tissue Impaction: There is not enough room to allow the gum tissue to retract for adequate cleaning of the tooth.
  • Partial Bony Impaction: There is enough space to allow the wisdom tooth to partially erupt. However, the tooth cannot function properly in the chewing process, and creates cleaning problems, among others.
  • Complete Bony Impaction: There is NO space for the tooth to erupt. It remains embedded in the jaw bone or if even partially visible requires complex surgical techniques for removal.The impacted wisdom tooth may also be in an unusual position and difficult to remove. This situation can also arise when the shape or size of the jaw bone and other facial structures make removal of this tooth significantly more complex.
A representation of a wisdom tooth impacted by soft tissueSoft Tissue
An example of a wisdom tooth with a partial bony impactionPartial Bony
An illustration of a wisdom tooth completely impacted by boneComplete Bony

Burlington Oral Surgery

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Great service and very friendly!

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Everyone was very friendly and the procedure my daughter had was well explained beforehand.

- Tricia H

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Dr. Porter, the nurses and the staff were wonderful with my son, who had his wisdom teeth pulled. (He said his nurse "was the best"!). I had to wait in the parking lot during the procedure (COVID-19 safety) but had confidence in this staff, so it wasn't an issue with me. I have had two children go through this surgery with Dr. Porter and both were positive experiences. I thank them for taking such good care of my family!

- Lisa C

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Everything was fast and easy, I was in and out with 4 wisdom teeth removed in 45 minutes from arriving.

- Anonymous

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Super friendly doctor and staff. Procedure went smoothly. Overall a great experience for a surgery.

- Anonymous

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I really enjoyed the whole experience I had here! I was very nervous and they made everything go super well.

- Anonymous

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Very friendly and helped me with my nerves when I first got here

- Abbie K

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I would recommend this office to anyone. I was extremely nervous to get my wisdom tooth removed but they made me feel at ease and comfortable.

- Amy M

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Good procedure and great help with information

- Drew F

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Very good work from the nurses and Doctor. Everyone is very nice and very helpful

- Trystan G

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Good atmosphere

- Anonymous

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It didn't take long and it wasn't that painful

- Katelyn H

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All staff was very helpful, courteous, and understanding. Great team of people to work with!

- Erin W

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Great decision to get it done here with this doctor. The staff made the whole procedure painless and easy!

- Anonymous

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Staff was really friendly and nice. Dentist is nice and friendly. well knowledgeable.

- Jin Wei C

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