Dental impactions are often known to occur when there is not enough room in the jaw for new molar teeth to erupt properly. This can lead to a variety of dental problems, including cysts. There are several types of dental impaction. There are numerous classification systems used to identify the specific manner in which a tooth is impacted.
One of the most simple distinctions made is whether a tooth is impacted completely within bone or whether it has broken through the bony cortex and is partially or completely covered in gingival tissue; the former would be termed bony impaction, while the latter would be termed soft-tissue impaction, and both classifications may present as partial or complete. Mandibular third molars are the most commonly found unerupted teeth, while maxillary third molars are second most common.
