WebMD Medical Reference in collaboration with

Oral Surgery

Cosmetic Dentistry Slideshow

• Impacted teeth
• Tooth loss
• Jaw-related problems
• Other conditions treated by oral surgery

A number of conditions may require oral surgery, including:

Impacted Teeth

Wisdom teeth, otherwise known as third molars, are the last set of teeth to develop. Sometimes these teeth emerge from the gum line and the jaw is large enough to allow room for them, but most of the time, this is not the case. More often, one or more of these third molars fails to emerge in proper alignment or fails to fully emerge through the gum line and becomes entrapped or "impacted" between the jawbone and the gum tissue. Impacted wisdom teeth can result in swelling, pain, and infection of the gum tissue surrounding the wisdom teeth. In addition, impacted wisdom teeth can cause permanent damage to nearby teeth, gums, and bone and can sometimes lead to the formation of cysts or tumors that can destroy sections of the jaw. Therefore, dentists recommend people with impacted wisdom teeth have them surgically removed.

It's not just wisdom teeth that sometimes become impacted and need to be removed. Other teeth, such as the cuspids and the bicuspids can become impacted and can cause the same types of problems described with impacted wisdom teeth.

Suggested Reading by Our Doctors

• Dental Implants - Get information on dental implants, replacement tooth roots that provide anchors for replacement teeth. Learn about costs and the pros and cons of the procedure.
• Sleep Apnea - Learn about sleep apnea, including a description of types of sleep apnea, causes, complications, diagnosis, evaluation, treatments (surgical and non-surgical), and importance of treatment.
• Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ) - Read about temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) causes, symptoms (headaches, jaw popping, ear pain, dizziness, tinnitus), diagnosis and treatment (surgery, medications).

Read more Oral Surgery related articles »

Latest Medical News

• Boomers Doomed to Disability?
• Gender Divorce Gap After Illness Strikes
• Cigarette Smoking's Decline Levels Off
• 22 Million Cases of Swine Flu in U.S.