A pain in your wisdom-tooth area often creates a little bit of uncertainty: is or isn’t it your wisdom tooth? If you feel that pain and explain it to someone they may say, “You’ll know it if it’s your wisdom tooth,” and have a pained look on their face. It helps to know that the pain at the back of your mouth might actually be something worth thinking about, but is it a long-term wisdom tooth issue or a short-term one? Questions arise that can be difficult to answer. Here is what you should know.
Growing Wisdom Teeth
Wisdom teeth are teeth that are the last to grow in in your life and typically develop between the ages of 15 and 25. Wisdom teeth are treated and observed on a case-by-case basis as typically, people have four wisdom teeth, one in each corner of the mouth, but not always. Some people don’t have wisdom teeth at all, and others only have one, two or three. On top of that, those pesky teeth don’t always come in straight either. Some develop sideways instead of up and down like normal teeth. These sideways teeth typically which cause the most problems for people because of their positioning and because they can trigger secondary effects. This is why it is incredibly common for many to have their wisdom teeth removed as if they come in wrong, they can cause a number of problems. But how do you know if you even have wisdom teeth or if they are going to be a problem?
Typically, if you go into the dentist every 6-months for your check up, you will get mouth X-rays, and your dentist will tell you if and when your wisdom teeth start to develop and if they need to come out. Millions of Americans get their wisdom teeth removed every year. It’s a common treatment for the source of many oral problems. It is recommended by most dentists and oral surgeons to take care of your wisdom teeth before they become a serious problem down the line. Being proactive is especially important if you get informed that you have impacted wisdom teeth.
What are Impacted Wisdom Teeth?
Wisdom teeth can erupt and cause a variety of issues on arrival. However, in this case, these teeth are entering a settled mouth full of adult teeth that have already developed. Some people have larger mouths and therefore more room which increases their chances that their wisdom teeth will come in straight, however others are not so lucky. Those who have smaller, more crowded mouths just don’t have room. This can cause the teeth to come in at an angle or not fully appear as they can’t push beyond the teeth already present. These are known as an impacted wisdom teeth. Any new tooth coming into your mouth can cause pain no matter what direction it is going but impacted wisdom teeth usually come with persistent pain and can cause secondary issues.
Symptoms
The eruption may be painless. You may not realize that they are on the scene. However, wisdom teeth can leave your gum vulnerable, especially if it’s only partially erupted. Bacteria and food can get stuck and cause an infection, an abyss, a cyst, or a gum disease. This will all be more obvious pains. You may see a swelling around the affected tooth just by looking at your face in the mirror. A bad taste in your mouth or smelly breath can also indicate there is a problem you should be trying to fix. Avoiding any and all of these circumstances are just a few of the any reasons dentists recommend removing wisdom teeth early, especially when they are impacted. Medical professionals will be the only ones who can alleviate the long-term effects safely and conclusively. However, if you are plagued with wisdom tooth pain there are some things you can do to help your pain before you get your teeth removed.
Wisdom Tooth Pain Remedies
These are a few home remedies that can help infections or sooth pain.
- Saltwater Rinse: Rinsing your mouth and affected tooth area with warm saltwater kills bad bacteria, promotes healthy gums, and has anti-inflammatory effects.
- Peppermint: Peppermint leaves contain menthol which is a cooling compound that is found in many topical ointments. It is known to relieve pain, itching, and irritation.
- Clove Oil: Clove essential oil is known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. Be careful not to inject too much clove oil (10-30 milliliters) as it can cause liver toxicity but putting just a drop or two of clove oil on an infected tooth can provide some much-needed relief.
- Cold and Heat Therapy: Ice pack and heating packs will become your best friend if you have tooth pain or are recovering from tooth surgery. Ice packs have a numbing effect that can soothe pain and heating packs can promote healing, blood flow, and ease tension in the affected area.
- Turmeric: Turmeric is also known to have pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties and has been around for centuries. You can apply ground turmeric directly to the affected area.
- Crushed Garlic: Garlic has been a known illness treatment and effective pathogen deferent for hundreds of years. This makes it perfect for fighting the bacteria that is infecting your gumline. Be sure to crush the garlic into a paste before applying it to the gumline to make the garlic most effective.
- Surgery: As stated above, surgery is usually the recommended long-term solution. The dentist will use an anesthetic – local, sedation, or general – to perform it so you won’t feel a thing. It’s a short procedure, thirty to sixty minutes but it will take a few weeks for total recovery. Soft foods will be on the menu during the early portion of recovery and there will likely be discomfort, but once you make it past the first four or five days of recovery life significantly improves.
If you are worried about your wisdom teeth or starting to feel pain in your mouth, it might be time to consult your dentist and schedule them for removal before they start to cause more significant damage.
