The wisdom teeth are your third set of molars located near the back of your mouth. The wisdom teeth are the third pair of molars located in the back of the mouth. Between the ages of 17 and 25, these teeth begin moving upward through your jawbone toward breaking through the gum line and becoming part of the chewing mechanism.
There can be pain associated with wisdom teeth. Perhaps your dentist or oral surgeon will recommend the emergency tooth extraction. In the meantime, you can relieve your pain with various techniques. You wonder about what to do when wisdom teeth hurt in this situation. This article will discuss wisdom teeth and what you can do regarding wisdom tooth pain. So let’s get started.
Table of Contents
What Are Wisdom Teeth?
Typically the third set of molars that emerge from the back of the mouth is the wisdom teeth. Growing from your jawbone, they penetrate your gum line until they reach the surface. Usually, the last adult tooth to erupt is the wisdom tooth, though some people may not have them.
They usually appear between 17 and 25 years of age, but they can appear later in life in some cases. Wisdom teeth have no practical use, which is why extraction is a safe and common treatment for wisdom teeth pain.
Having enough room and growing straight may prevent you from experiencing wisdom tooth pain. When you have insufficient space in your mouth for your wisdom teeth to emerge, they can cause a lot of discomfort, irritation, and inflammation. At his dental clinic in Carrollton, TX, you can schedule a visit with Dr. Kumar, DDS, MS, MBA, FDSRCS, a board-certified periodontist.
Wisdom Tooth Pain
In many cases, wisdom teeth cannot enter the mouth fully due to impacted roots. It may be difficult for them to break through the gums at times. Seventy percent of the population suffers from at least one wisdom tooth.
In the case of an affected wisdom tooth, you may experience pain. When food and germs get stuck in gums, they can lead to a wide range of problems, such as:
- Cavities
- Infection
- Gum disease bacteria
Impacting teeth can cause damage to the teeth around them. In some individuals, a cyst can form around the wisdom tooth. Additionally, wisdom teeth are difficult to clean due to their position, contributing to poor dental hygiene.
Your dentist or doctor might suggest a wisdom tooth extraction in any of these situations. As you wait for treatment, you can proactively manage your pain.
Why Wisdom Tooth Pain Occurs
Wisdom teeth pain can result from a variety of factors. Possibly, you have misaligned wisdom teeth, they do not fit properly in your mouth, or an infection around your wisdom teeth. No matter the cause of your painful wisdom teeth, it can negatively impact your overall oral health.
The discomfort associated with wisdom teeth can often suddenly appear without warning. However, wisdom tooth discomfort may develop slowly with time, so it is often overlooked or misdiagnosed.
Below are some causes of wisdom teeth pain:
- During the erupting period of your wisdom teeth, you may experience pain. Once they break through the gums, they may cause discomfort, swelling, and soreness.
- When a wisdom tooth becomes impacted, swelling, pain while chewing or biting, jaw pain, and difficulty opening your mouth may occur.
- The placement and lack of space for wisdom teeth make them more likely to develop gum disease, making cleaning them more challenging.
- Because of the lack of space, wisdom teeth often grow near neighboring teeth. Cavities are likely to form in this cramped area due to their inability to clean.
- Wisdom teeth that become impacted may develop a cyst in the follicle of the impacted tooth, causing pain in the tooth and jawbone.
Consider scheduling an appointment with Dr. Kumar, DDS, MS, MBA, FDSRCS, board-certified periodontist, in your area in Dallas, TX, if you are experiencing wisdom tooth pain. Your doctor can determine if wisdom teeth cause your pain, take any necessary X-rays, and schedule an appointment.
Symptoms of Wisdom Teeth Pain
While you still have your wisdom teeth, you may wonder whether you are suffering from wisdom teeth pain. Wisdom teeth can be extremely painful when they emerge. What are the symptoms of this pain? Below are some of the symptoms of wisdom teeth pain.
- Wisdom teeth pain usually occurs in the back of the mouth, behind the molars.
- There is also a possibility that the area is red, inflamed, and sensitive to touch.
- Look in the mirror, and you might see your wisdom teeth poking through your gums.
- In contrast, some people experience wisdom tooth pain without any obvious symptoms.
Several factors can contribute to oral pain. Possible causes are:
- Tooth decay.
- Fracture or abscess.
- Dental filling fractures or damage.
- Grinding the teeth overnight.
- Gum infection.
It is important to see a dentist if you experience mouth pain, regardless of its cause.
What to Do When Your Wisdom Teeth Hurt
You scheduled a consultation with an oral surgeon for wisdom teeth removal but could not schedule it until next month. There are several things you can do at home to reduce wisdom tooth pain in this case.
Peppermint Extract
Peppermint leaves contain menthol, a cooling compound naturally found in plants. Researchers have discovered that it has some pain-relieving properties in various applications. Despite the lack of clear evidence about its usefulness, peppermint is usually considered safe when treating wisdom teeth pain.
Soak a cotton ball in peppermint extract and apply it to your sore gums, or you can put the oil straight on your teeth. You can use peppermint tea as a mouthwash once it has cooled.
Heat and Cold Therapy
If you apply ice to your cheeks, you might reduce swelling and inflammation. In addition to numbing, the cold also has a soothing effect for reducing. Heat eases stress and improves blood flow to the area, facilitating healing.
Either cold or heat may effectively treat your pain, depending on what works best for you. Combining heat and cold therapies can be beneficial for some people. Repeat several times a day, applying heat or cold to the affected area for several minutes each time.
Saltwater Rinse
The most popular way to treat toothaches is by using a saltwater rinse. According to a study published in 2016, washing your gums with warm water and dissolved sodium chloride can promote healthy gums and kill harmful germs. Wisdom teeth can break through your gum tissue and cause cysts or problems for your other teeth. It’s a good idea to keep your mouth free from hazardous microorganisms.
Research completed in 2021 on 47 persons undergoing periodontal surgery found that a saltwater rinse was as effective as a 0.12 percent chlorhexidine rinse in reducing inflammation.
Aspirin
You can take aspirin to reduce wisdom tooth pain and headaches that may accompany them. If your doctor has approved you to take aspirin for pain, follow the instructions on the bottle.
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It can help relieve pain and inflammation caused by erupting wisdom teeth. You will also experience faster healing of your gums if they’ve been scratched or cut when you’re erupting your teeth.
Applying pure aloe vera gel to the gums can provide temporary pain relief and cool the area.
Tea Tree Oil
Antibacterial properties of tea tree oil may aid in killing microorganisms on teeth. As this oil is so strong, you should never directly use it on your teeth.
When tea tree oil is diluted with coconut oil, a carrier oil, it can be applied to your sore gum line to help eliminate germs. Ensure you rinse your mouth after using tea tree oil and spit out any leftovers immediately.
Menthol
As a natural analgesic, menthol gives your skin a chilly sensation when you touch it. To use menthol to alleviate wisdom tooth discomfort, dilute an alcohol-infused mouthwash with peppermint flavor and menthol before putting it directly on the painful area.
Crushed Garlic and Ginger
The study of plant treatments conducted in 2016 found that crushed garlic is among the most effective methods of killing gum line germs. Crushed ginger combined with garlic yields a significantly more potent paste than raw garlic alone.
You can apply the paste to your gums by crushing raw garlic with fresh ginger slices until it resembles a paste.
When you wonder what to do when you have painful wisdom teeth, you can perform these tasks.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Self Treat for Wisdom Tooth Pain?
Usually, wisdom tooth pain disappears on its own after a few days, but you may be able to speed up the process by doing a few things. A painkiller is the simplest thing you can do to ease your discomfort. In the case of wisdom teeth pain, ibuprofen is an effective pain reliever. By reducing inflammation and swelling, it provides effective pain relief.
To heal your wisdom tooth area more quickly, it is crucial to keep the area clean. It is important to gently brush around the wisdom tooth even though it is painful. If you are experiencing gum problems, you can rinse your mouth with warm salty water.
How Can I Know If My Wisdom Teeth Are Coming In?
Behind your second tooth, you may experience minor soreness and swelling. Wisdom teeth erupt and cause a dull ache near the rear of the jaw, which in some cases becomes more severe and frequent. There is a possibility that wisdom teeth can irritate nerves near the mouth, eyes, and ears.
In the early stages of wisdom teeth eruption, the gums on top of those teeth may appear red or dark pink. You will notice small white specks appearing below your second molars when your wisdom teeth begin to emerge. White spots represent newly erupted teeth that have broken through the gum line. If you are experiencing any of these signs, you can ensure that your wisdom teeth are about to erupt.
Is Wisdom Teeth Removal Always Necessary?
What does it matter if the answer is yes or no? This isn’t as easy as it seems! Usually, wisdom teeth are extracted as a preventative measure before causing any problems. What’s the reason? There is a 90% chance that at least one of your wisdom teeth will cause problems. Wisdom teeth commonly have impacted roots, which can’t properly emerge from the gums.
If a wisdom tooth becomes impacted, it can be quite painful. You may also experience problems with your teeth’ alignment and arrangement. It would be best if you spoke to your dentist about that. You can also tell your dentist that you’d rather wait and see how things progress before making any decisions.
Why are Wisdom Teeth Removed?
Wisdom teeth that are impacted but aren’t causing you any problems don’t normally need to be removed. The reason is that this cannot be demonstrated to be beneficial, and there is a danger of problems.
The wisdom teeth might have dental issues if they are impacted or have not fully broken through the gum surface. When foods and germs are caught around wisdom teeth’s edges, plaque can form, causing:
- Gum disease.
- Abscess.
- Tooth decay.
- Pericoronitis.
- Cysts and benign growths.
- Cellulitis.
These issues can be dealt with by using antiseptic mouthwash and antibiotics. It is usually necessary to remove wisdom teeth when all other treatments have failed.
What is an Impacted Wisdom Tooth?
Wisdom teeth don’t develop naturally in many people. Under certain circumstances, the teeth may be caught beneath the gum line or will only burst partially through. Dental professionals refer to these teeth as impacted teeth. Wisdom teeth become impacted when not enough room is available for all the teeth coming in or when they come in at an angle that causes them to collide with the tooth in front of them.
Wisdom teeth that have become impacted are fairly frequent. Some people never experience problems with wisdom teeth that are impacted. Food, plaque, and other debris can cause swelling, gum discomfort, cavities, and bad breath around an impacted wisdom tooth. In addition to causing pain and infection, impacted wisdom teeth can cause harm to other teeth. Hence, oral surgeons and dentists regularly remove them.
What to Know About Tooth Impaction?
An impacted tooth is a tooth that has not erupted through the gum line or has only partially erupted. The most common type of impacted tooth is the wisdom tooth, which is the last tooth to erupt in the mouth. Other teeth that can become impacted include the cuspid (eye tooth) and bicuspid (premolar) teeth. Impacted teeth can cause a variety of problems. If an impacted tooth is not removed, it can damage other teeth, cause infections, and lead to gum disease. Impacted teeth can also be difficult to clean, which can lead to tooth decay and bad breath.
What are the signs of an impacted wisdom tooth?
There are a few signs that you may have an impacted wisdom tooth, including:
- Pain in the back of your mouth
- Swelling in the back of your mouth
- Difficulty opening your mouth
- Bad breath
- A bad taste in your mouth
- A change in the alignment of your teeth
If you have any of these symptoms, you should see a dentist as soon as possible. They will be able to tell if you have an impacted wisdom tooth and recommend the best course of treatment.
How long until wisdom teeth removal fully healed?
According to most sources, wisdom teeth removal full healing can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks. However, keep in mind that every mouth is different and therefore, every healing process will be as well. Be sure to follow your dentist or oral surgeon’s post-operative instructions carefully to ensure optimal healing.
What Problems Can Occur after Wisdom Teeth Removal?
Wisdom teeth extractions carry significant risks, just like any other surgery. There are, however, usually only minor concerns. The most common side effect of wisdom tooth removal is a dry socket. When a blood clot fails to form in a tooth socket or becomes dislodged or dissolves, this is what it means. Following surgery, this can happen between three and five days later.
Wisdom teeth removal may also injure some trigeminal nerves, though this is much less common than the dry socket. It might also cause numbness, tingling, and pain in your lower lip, chin, tongue, teeth, and gums. Upon undergoing a wisdom tooth extraction, you may develop signs of infection, or the extraction site may bleed profusely. Consult your dentist.
Will I Need to Get My Wisdom Teeth Removed if the Infection Returns?
Check your wisdom teeth with a dentist if you are 16 to 19. In cases where your wisdom teeth cause pain or illness, crowd other teeth, or entrap you and cannot break through your gums, your dentist may recommend their removal.
Dentists and oral surgeons say it is easier to remove impacted wisdom teeth when you are 20 because your teeth’ roots and bones are still softer and not fully developed. As a young person, you’re likely to heal faster.
Why Do Wisdom Teeth Cause Problems?
You may end up with your wisdom teeth caught in your jaw and unable to break through your gums if your jaw size is insufficient. When a wisdom tooth becomes impacted, it might crowd adjacent teeth and cause inflamed and painful gum flaps.
As wisdom teeth that breakthrough your gum can be difficult to clean, they can result in cavities and gum disease. There is a possibility of a cyst forming and harming the bones or roots. Wisdom teeth problems are most common in young adults between 15 and 25. Wisdom teeth often require extraction for only a small percentage of people over 30.
Final Thought
We have ended with the procedure you can do when you have wisdom teeth pain. These steps will temporarily relieve wisdom tooth discomfort, but extraction is the only long-term solution. This procedure has become rather common, and your dentist or oral surgeon can fully discuss the possible risks and benefits with you.
Wisdom tooth pain is serious and should not be ignored. However, wisdom tooth removal is the most effective strategy to relieve wisdom tooth discomfort and maintain your dental and general well-being and health. The dentist can assess your individual health needs and recommend the best procedure for you based on your needs. So if you are experiencing wisdom tooth pain, schedule an appointment with Dr. Kumar, DDS, MS, MBA, FDSRCS, a board-certified periodontist.
