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Dentistry vocabulary · Extractions, Oral Surgery and Anesthesia

Impacted

Meaning in dentistry, with examples

/ɪmˈpæktɪd/adjectiveCommon term

In dentistry, impacted means: Describes a tooth that cannot come through into its normal position because bone, gum or another tooth is in the way. Wisdom teeth and upper canines are most often affected.

In Turkish: gömülü, sürememiş

How it is used

Dentists describe the angle of impaction (mesioangular, distoangular, vertical, horizontal) and whether the tooth is covered by bone or only by soft tissue. Impacted teeth are often assessed with a panoramic X-ray or CBCT.

Example sentences

  1. The lower right wisdom tooth is impacted and lying horizontally.

  2. An impacted canine may need surgical exposure and orthodontic treatment.

Common collocations

  • impacted wisdom tooth
  • impacted canine
  • partially impacted
  • mesioangular impaction
  • wisdom toothThe third and last molar at the back of each side of both jaws. It usually comes through between the late teens and the mid-twenties and often lacks space to erupt properly.
  • canineThe long, pointed tooth at each corner of the dental arch, between the lateral incisor and the first premolar. Upper canines have the longest roots of all the teeth.
  • extractionThe removal of a tooth from its socket in the bone. A simple one uses forceps and elevators; a surgical one may need a cut in the gum or removal of some bone.
  • CBCTShort for cone beam computed tomography: a 3D scan of the teeth and jaws that shows bone height and width, nerve canals and roots in detail.
  • panoramic X-rayA single wide X-ray that shows both jaws, all the teeth and nearby structures such as the jaw joints and sinuses. The machine moves around the patient's head.

More terms: Extractions, Oral Surgery and Anesthesia

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