Health Tip: Do You Have an Impacted Tooth?

Cosmetic Dentistry Slideshow

(HealthDay News) -- Teeth below the gums are supposed to continue growing and break through. But sometimes, teeth -- most often wisdom teeth -- don't emerge and become impacted.

Head and neck pain may signal an impacted tooth, the U.S. National Library of Medicine says. Here's a more complete list of common symptoms:

• Persistent bad breath.
• Problems trying to open the mouth.
• Sore or tender gums, or pain in the jaw.
• Headache.
• Swollen or red gums near the impacted tooth.
• Swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck.
• Persistent bad taste in the mouth.

-- Diana Kohnle

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