Impacted Wisdom Teeth San Diego & Coronado CA

What Are Wisdom Teeth?

San Diego 619-282-7088 Coronado 619-435-3184Third 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.

Are Your Impacted Wisdom Teeth Causing You Pain?

Don’t suffer any longer! Dr. Hummeldorf can gently extract impacted wisdom teeth to relieve pain and prevent future complications.

Call Us Today!

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.

Side-by-side images of a mouth X-ray showing impacted teeth and a 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

Kurt Hummeldorf, DMD-PC

5 out of 5 stars based on 34 Wisdom Teeth Removal reviews.

Patient Review By brett d

I was nervous having my wisdom teeth removed - but Dr. Hummeldorf and staff made me comftorable and the extractions went surprisingly pain free.Thanks!

- brett d

5 out of 5 stars on

Patient Review By jackson k

Very vast procedure would recommed anyone to this surgeon!

- jackson k

5 out of 5 stars on

Patient Review By Katherine I

Everyone is really friendly! I felt well taken care of! 🙂

- Katherine I

5 out of 5 stars on

Patient Review By Paige M

They made the process as painless and comfortable as possible! Excellent service and staff. Followed up multiple times to make sure I was healing well! Would definitely recommened, gave me flawless service!

- Paige M

5 out of 5 stars on

Patient Review By Mary L

Wonderful! Top-rate in every way.

- Mary L

5 out of 5 stars on

Patient Review By Claire K

Great service from start to finish! Promptly answered all my questions prior to my appointment. Once I was in the office, the staff were very friendly and Dr. H exceeded my expectations.

- Claire K

5 out of 5 stars on

Patient Review By Melissa F

Dr.Hummerdorf and the staff made my procedure as easy and painless as possible. They all worked to put my pre-surgery nerves at ease. Very professional office

- Melissa F

5 out of 5 stars on

Patient Review By Hannah S

Good experience

- Hannah S

5 out of 5 stars on

Patient Review By Brett S

I had a very pleasurable experience and will definitely recommend you to others!

- Brett S

5 out of 5 stars on

Patient Review By Rachel S

Instructions were explained very clearly staff was friendly and scheduling was easy and fast

- Rachel S

5 out of 5 stars on

Patient Review By carly s

I cannot express enough gratitude for how comfortable the office and specifically Dr Hummeldorf made me throughout the procedure. From the initial consultation to the phone call later that day, I knew I was in good hands. Thank you for turning what is typically an awful procedure into a comfortable experience for me.

- carly s

5 out of 5 stars on

Patient Review By Jessica H

I cannot say enough about Dr. Hummeldorf and his staff! What an incredibly friendly and helpful bunch. Everyone was patient and accomodating which is so appreciated going into procedures where you're initially afraid. They answer your questions and provide more than enough information so that you're prepared and comfortable from beginning to end. They were awesome!

- Jessica H

5 out of 5 stars on

Patient Review By Abrahem R

Latoya was phenomenal at helping us over the phone; what an exceptional staff member. Business was smooth and professional. Dr. Hummeldorf is an experienced oral surgeon, and the fact that he served in the Navy made us feel all the more comfortable.

- Abrahem R

5 out of 5 stars on

Patient Review By Terhea W

An excellent experience. I don't know that I've ever felt so well taken care of! Thank you to the doctor and all support staff for helping to put me at ease through the process.

- Terhea W

5 out of 5 stars on