Your gums can experience pain for various reasons like tooth decay, a broken or damaged filling, gum infection, a fracture or an abscess. It strikes very few people that you may be getting wisdom teeth pain. Don’t worry, we’re here with everything you need to know about wisdom teeth.
Overview
Wisdom teeth are named so as they usually come in from age 17-25. These teeth are in the very back of your mouth. You get two on top and two on the bottom as part of a complete set of 32 adult teeth.
Impacted wisdom teeth can result in pain, damage to other teeth and other dental problems. In some cases, impacted wisdom teeth may cause no obvious or immediate problem, but because they’re hard to clean, they may be more vulnerable to tooth decay and gum disease than other teeth are.
Symptoms
Wisdom Teeth don’t always cause a problem. However, they can get infected or can cause dental problems. You may experience some of these symptoms:
- You’ll feel wisdom teeth pain at the back of your mouth, behind your molars.
- You can experience difficulty opening your mouth.
- If you look into a mirror, you may even notice that your wisdom teeth have begun to poke through your gums.
- You may get an unpleasant taste in your mouth.
- Your gums may become tender and can start bleeding.
- Gums can also become red and swollen.
- It can give you bad breath as well.
Not everyone experiences such problems with wisdom teeth or you can be experiencing pain in your teeth and gums for a different reason. Nevertheless you should always consult our dentist in case of oral pain.
Causes
Some people have wisdom teeth that emerge without any problems and line up with the other teeth behind the second molars. In many cases, however, the mouth is too crowded for third molars to develop normally. Whether partially or fully impacted, the tooth may:
- Grow at an angle toward the next tooth (second molar)
- Grow at an angle toward the back of the mouth
- Grow at an angle, as if the wisdom tooth is “lying down” within the jawbone
- Grow straight up or down like other teeth but stay trapped within the jawbone
Solution:
- If you experience pain or discomfort with your wisdom teeth you should seek professional help immediately.
- The best way to deal with the issues with wisdom teeth is to extract it / get it removed.
- The issues usually arise due to wisdom tooth not coming the way it has to and pushing the other teeth or getting locked behind the last tooth due to its incorrect angulation.
- If not extracted it might decay the tooth next to it or may even push the other teeth disturbing their alignment and may lead to crowding in the lower jaw.
Post Extraction Management
- Hold a cold pack against your jaw to help with soreness and swelling.
- Try not to spit too much so you won’t move the blood clot that’s keeping the area from bleeding.
- Drink lots of water, but stay away from alcohol, hot beverages, or sodas for 24 hours.
- You probably won’t be able to fully open your mouth for about a week. Stick to soft foods that won’t bother the area.
- You shouldn’t brush your teeth for 24 hours. After that, gently gargle with warm saltwater every 2 hours for a week.
Wisdom tooth pain should not be taken lightly. While at-home pain management is an option for some patients, in most cases wisdom tooth extraction is the best way to alleviate wisdom tooth pain and protect your oral and overall health and well-being. As always, your dentist will be able to evaluate your specific health needs and help you decide on the best option.
We have an experienced team of professionals at the multi-speciality Dental Health Care Center – Creative Smiles with Dr. Veejay Deshpandey, Dental Surgeon and Implantologist and an innovator in the field of Implant Dentistry heading the team. At Creative Smiles, we offer the most advanced dental services at very affordable prices.
Creative Smiles, in Thane, Mumbai can bring the sparkle back to your smile and help you attain a smile you’ll be proud to show off. To learn more about the benefits of full mouth rehabilitation, contact us to schedule your no-obligation consultation today!