How To Relieve Wisdom Tooth Pain

Wisdom teeth are the last molars to erupt in adults. They can be the source of great discomfort for many people. In some cases, there is not enough space for them to erupt, so they can become impacted, or cause misalignment of the teeth. When they have enough space to erupt, other problems such as hard-to-treat cavities and cysts can arise. In any event, the most common symptom related to wisdom teeth is pain. In this article, you will find tips on how to treat it and at what time it is convenient to visit a dentist in NE Calgary.

Wisdom Teeth Pain Due To Infection Of The Gums

Gum infection around a partially erupted wisdom tooth is also called pericoronitis. Pericoronitis is caused by a buildup of bacteria, food particles, and debris between wisdom teeth and the gums. This causes a lot of swelling, pain and discomfort in the back of the mouth. Normal oral hygiene methods such as brushing and flossing are ineffective in keeping the wisdom tooth clean.

Pericoronitis is associated with a wide range of symptoms including:

• Severe pain coming from the gums in the back of the mouth
• Tenderness and swelling around wisdom teeth and in the surrounding areas
• Tender lymph nodes under the jaw
• Difficulty opening your mouth wide
• Bad breath and bad taste in your mouth
• Yellow pus and/or blood oozing from the wisdom tooth area

Ice Outside Of Your Jaw On The Affected Side

Wrap some ice or an ice pack with a towel and apply this to the outside of your face on the jawline of the affected side. If your wisdom teeth are coming in on both sides, then ice for one minute and switch to the other side and continue repeating for ten total minutes. Ice helps to reduce the swelling and pain, but be sure to wrap it in a towel to prevent damage to the delicate skin on your face.

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How Does Wisdom Tooth Pain Feel

If your wisdom teeth have yet to come through, you may be wondering what sort of discomfort to expect. Is that pain in your gums coming from a cavity or might it be from a wisdom tooth?

It could be growing pains from wisdom teeth if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms:

• A feeling of tenderness behind your second molars
• Swollen or red gums at the affected area
• Discomfort in your jaw or mouth at the very back
• Headaches, especially common when upper wisdom teeth erupt
• A hard bump in your gum which is visibly emerging

If youre experiencing slight discomfort towards the back of your mouth and think it could be caused by wisdom teeth, you might want to just hold off for a bit to see if it resolves itself and the pain goes away. At this stage, you could try taking some over-the-counter painkillers for wisdom tooth pain recovery & relief.

This may help you get through the day but naturally, taking painkillers on a regular basis is not a good long-term solution.

One remedy you can try yourself at home for relief from wisdom tooth pain is to rinse your mouth out several times a day with warm salt water. Not only will this help kill any bacteria which may be causing an infection, but it will also loosen any particles of food that may have got stuck between your teeth and rinse them away.

Wisdom Teeth Pain Relief

Pain relief for your growing wisdom teeth can be achieved with:

How long does wisdom tooth growing pain last? The acute pain of wisdom teeth growing in should last for about 3-4 days and resolve on its own if the teeth are not impacted. Expect to feel soreness for 6-8 weeks and plan to regularly rinse with warm saltwater throughout that time.

If you choose not to extract impacted wisdom teeth, you could be in pain indefinitely, depending on the tooth position. However, not all impacted wisdom teeth cause pain.

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How To Use Onion To Relieve Tooth Pain:

At the first sign of pain in your tooth, cut off a piece of onion and chew it on the side of your mouth that is in pain. This allows the juice from the onion to penetrate your tooth. If you find your pain too intense for chewing, you can use your finger to hold the piece of onion directly against the problematic tooth and gums.

Wisdom teeth can be a pain. Our expert dental team can help with evaluations and extractions. Contact us today.

Why Is My Wisdom Teeth Pain Getting Worse

When wisdom teeth become impacted, it causes a great deal of pain, particularly as the condition worsens. You may notice pain radiating from the back of the mouth, particularly focused on the area around the wisdom teeth and other molars. This pain will get worse as the surrounding teeth begin to become affected.

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Take Care Of The Dressings

When you leave the office, you will have a dressing, usually a gauze pad, covering the area. It may be bloody, but dont panic, thats normal. Any bleeding you may suspect is abnormal, call your dentist right away. Change the dressing as instructed this is an important part of preventing dry socket.

Two Ways To Apply Peppermint To Your Teeth To Relieve Pain:

• You can take fresh leaves and pack them into the affected area for at least 20 minutes, and the pain should subside.
• Take a few drops of peppermint extract and put it on a cotton swab applying it to your tooth. Leave it on your tooth for a few minutes, and you should start to feel relieved from the pain.

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If Im Not In Pain Does That Mean I Shouldnt Have My Wisdom Teeth Extracted

Pain isnt a great diagnostic tool for wisdom tooth extraction. Not everyone experiences wisdom tooth pain, but your dentist can tell you if youre at risk of long-term problems by doing a full exam and x-ray.

• Dental surgery in aging patients, which carries a higher rate of failure

But in 2000, Great Britains National Health Service issued guidelines stating that preventative removal of impacted wisdom teeth should be discontinued. They based this on 1997 guidelines from the Royal College of Surgeons.

A 2007 report on preventative extraction of wisdom teeth called the phenomenon a public health hazard. Dentist Jay Friedman, DDS explained in the report that around 1% of patients develop a lifelong condition called paresthesia after the removal of wisdom teeth.

According to his calculations, 9 million lost days of work and about $2.2 billion every year could be saved.

Friedman also discussed myths about the potential dangers of leaving asymptomatic wisdom teeth alone. For instance, he postulates that about 12% of impacted wisdom teeth will cause problems in nearby teeth or gums if not extracted.

As he points out, that rate is similar to that of infections of the gallbladder and appendix but those procedures are not recommended as a standard of care.

American Journal of Public Health

More recently, other clinicians and organizations have spoken out about concerns based on these guidelines. Friedmans popular 12% figure may not be accurate after all.

Schedule Your Wisdom Teeth Removal Consultation

Many of these pain relief and swelling relief tips will also be helpful during the wisdom teeth removal and recovery period! If you are starting to experience pain due to your wisdom teeth coming in, you should schedule a wisdom tooth consultation with a dental surgeon. Your oral surgeon will take x-rays to determine if the tooth or teeth are coming in impacted or are crowding other areas of the mouth. If you live in the Pennsylvania or New Jersey area and are looking for quality dentistry service please contact the experts at St. Lukes OMS!

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When Should I See A Dentist For Wisdom Teeth Pain

If you experience pain while your wisdom teeth are growing, its important to visit a dentist to get the correct diagnosis. You may have tooth decay or gum infection, or you may have a fracture or abscess. Pain can also be caused by a broken or damaged filling, or nightly teeth grinding. The good news is that there are a number of treatment options.

Some patients may experience a painful earache or jaw ache. Pain is often worse at night. A dentist will recommend an extraction if necessary. You can also try sleeping in an elevated position to relieve pressure. Eventually, you may need to have your wisdom teeth extracted if you are experiencing ongoing pain.

If you have pain from your wisdom teeth, its important to visit a dentist as soon as possible. Wisdom teeth can pose serious problems if they remain untreated. Even if you dont feel any pain, you can still develop gum disease and tooth decay if the teeth arent removed. Having a dentist remove them will allow for a smoother extraction and recovery.

What Is A Wisdom Tooth

In a normal full set of teeth, there are four wisdom teeth, also known as third molars. These are located at the back of the mouth in each of the four corners.

One result of many eons of evolution is that our jaw size has become smaller. Modern humans have a smaller jaw and less room for a full dentition. So many people suffer when the wisdom teeth try to grow into an area that has evolved to accommodate only 28 teeth. Those final four molars simply do not have room to grow normally and thrive like the others.

Wisdom teeth are a normal part of a persons dental development. Located behind the 12-year-molar, or the second molar, wisdom teeth provide additional surfaces for chewing food. Like other teeth, they can serve as attachments for bridges to hold false teeth, as anchors for partial dentures, and can develop dental diseases such as cavities and gum disease if not kept clean and free of food debris and plaque, a bacterial film that forms on all teeth daily.

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Why Does Wisdom Tooth Pain Come And Go 5 Ways To Relieve Pain

Most people know that wisdom teeth pain can be quite severe. But many dont understand that the pain in wisdom teeth can come and go seemingly for no reason. So why does this happen? And more importantly, what can you do to make the pain go away for good? In this post, well explore those questions and offer some solutions.

Treatments For Wisdom Teeth Pain

If the dentist feels that your wisdom tooth will not cause further complications, they may decide to leave it alone. Your dentist may direct you to take an over-the-counter pain medication to handle any ongoing discomfort.

Rinsing your mouth with warm salt water can help soothe your gums.

When it comes to wisdom teeth that are causing problems in your mouth, your dentist may decide that you need to have them pulled if:

• Its clear that the teeth will now grow in incorrectly
• There is not enough space for the wisdom teeth to fit
• The wisdom teeth are causing a great deal of pain and discomfort
• The wisdom teeth are only partially coming through the gum line
• There is decay present on the wisdom teeth

Its possible to have your wisdom teeth removed in an outpatient setting like an oral surgeons office with the aid of a local anesthetic. The difficulty of removing your wisdom teeth depends on the state of the tooth based on dental x-rays.

Your upper wisdom teeth may be easier to remove since those in your lower jaw have a greater chance of being impacted. Your dentist will decide on the best place to have your wisdom teeth removed.

They may decide that its ok to perform the procedure in the dentists office or refer you to an outpatient hospital setting.

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What Triggers Wisdom Teeth To Grow

Wisdom teeth can be painful and can cause a variety of issues. They may cause chronic pain and swelling in the gums, and they can cause aches and pains in the back of the jaw. Because of their position, the roots of wisdom teeth may also put pressure on the surrounding gum tissue and lead to active infections. Food may also lodge in the minuscule opening, which can make them difficult to remove. This can lead to a potentially serious infection known as pericoronitis.

If your wisdom teeth are causing pain or irritation, you may need to have them removed. Some dentists recommend getting them out when they are still in their infancy. Alternatively, you can use a cold compress to reduce the pain and swelling associated with the problem. But its important to see a dentist right away if you have symptoms of impacted wisdom teeth or pain.

Some people experience sideways or vertical growth of wisdom teeth. They can even turn toward the adjacent molars, which can lead to significant damage to them. Moreover, poorly aligned wisdom teeth can cause crowding and may even require orthodontic treatment.

Why Do We Have Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth serve no purpose other than offering an extra set of molars for chewing food. Modern humans frequently have no space for their wisdom teeth due to a diet full of soft foods, deficiency of vitamin K2, and shorter breastfeeding times during infancy.

Third molars may have been useful for grinding plants during the Paleolithic era. The cellulose in plant cell walls is harder to digest than nutrients in meat, so it required extra pre-digestion in the form of chewing.

Because of changes in dietary patterns, wisdom teeth are widely considered vestigial, or a body part that no longer serves a significant purpose.

While most individuals in the 21st century dont have enough room for their wisdom teeth, people in hunter-gatherer societies often did. Skulls of ancient humans have longer, wider jaws that were able to easily fit third molars.

Science

Unfortunately, we now have smaller jaws but the same number of teeth as our ancestors. Due mostly to our diets, we no longer have space for the last adult teeth to come in.

One reason for common modern-day problems with orthodontic growth is the lack of fresh, unprocessed foods in our diets compared to hunter-gatherer diets.

For instance, softer, processed foods require less chewing, which may impact the growth of the jaw. These were uncommon to find as staples in most diets before the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions.

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What Causes Wisdom Tooth Pain

For people lucky enough to have plenty of room to accommodate wisdom teeth, these teeth grow in normally and in line with the other molars. They cause little or no discomfort when erupting through the gum tissue.

But for many unlucky people, the growth of wisdom teeth is anything but fun. Far from it. As the wisdom teeth grow and the roots develop down in the jaws, pressure from the lack of space as well as slow damage to the other teeth causes acute pain and suffering.

Many wisdom teeth do not grow in a straight path through the gums. Some grow sideways and push against the roots of the second molars as they develop in the jaw. Some are angled toward the face or the tongue and never grow into the mouth at all. These trapped wisdom teeth are called impacted because they cannot grow through the bone and gums naturally.

These abnormal growth patterns contribute to wisdom tooth pain in the jaw. Your dentist will monitor the growth pattern of your wisdom teeth with X-rays and watch for the following conditions that might trigger pain and signal the need to have the wisdom teeth removed:

Wisdom Teeth Pain Symptoms

Wisdom teeth do not always cause pain or other symptoms. They can sit under the bone and gums for years without ever causing trouble. However, if any of these symptoms occur, you need to go to your dentist to see if the wisdom teeth are the cause:

• Redness and swelling in the back of the mouth, either on the upper or lower jaws

• Tenderness or bleeding from the back of the mouth

• Jaw or TMJ pain

• Sour taste or bad breath

• Problems fully opening your mouth

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Anesthesia Options For Wisdom Tooth Surgery

For dental work, you typically have 3 levels of sedation to request: minimal, moderate, and deep sedation. There are multiple options at each level of sedation.

You and your oral surgeon can choose from various sedation options for wisdom tooth extraction:

Minimal sedation is used for wisdom teeth extractions when the tooth is not impacted. Moderate or deep sedation may be utilized for impacted wisdom teeth removal.

Can I drive home after wisdom teeth removal? With only minimal sedation, you can drive home after your wisdom teeth removal surgery. If you receive moderate or deep sedation, youll need to arrange for someone else to drive you home.

Why Should I Have My Wisdom Teeth Pulled

Here are a few good reasons to make the choice to have your wisdom teeth removed:

• Shifting of other teeth: Wisdom teeth, especially impacted ones, can cause the other teeth to shift and cause problems with your bite

• Bone loss: Impacted wisdom teeth can destroy the bone where they are trapped

• Sinus problems: Upper wisdom teeth can interfere with the sinuses and cause infections, congestion, and headaches

• Cysts: These fluid-filled sacs form around impacted wisdom teeth and can destroy the bone.

• Gum inflammation: The gum tissue around the wisdom teeth can become infected and irritated

• Periodontal disease and cavities: Because they are hard to keep clean, wisdom teeth are often the site of gum disease and cavities

• Dentures and partials: For the elderly or those who must be fitted with false teeth, the wisdom teeth may interfere with the ability of the denture or partial to function properly

Getting permanent relief from wisdom tooth pain and avoiding the adverse conditions mentioned above means having the tooth or teeth removed. Hopefully, your general dentist can remove the tooth, but certain difficult cases require the skills of an oral surgeon to safely remove the wisdom tooth.

Whoever removes your wisdom tooth will provide postoperative instructions about what to do and what not to do after you get home to ensure fast and safe healing.

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