As people grow older, their entire body grows with them, and they experience different feelings of pain in all their organs. One of the weird sensations that they feel is the growth of their wisdom teeth.

Wisdom teeth are the last set of teeth that grow on the gum. They usually start appearing at the beginning of adulthood, which is why they are called “wisdom teeth”, as a reference to the wise age.

The sensation they bring when they grow can be smooth or extremely painful to some people, depending on the anatomy of their gum. Most of them decide to remove them eventually, as they do not have any specific purpose or importance.

General Overview about Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth erupt at the back of the mouth, one on each corner, which makes them four in total. In some cases, there is room for the wisdom tooth to grow on the gum, which leads to a healthy and normal growing process.

However, in other situations, there isn’t room for them to grow, which causes discomfort and pain, due to their wrong positioning or partial come through. This case is called “impacted wisdom teeth”. They can cause further dental problems such as the overcrowding of the teeth, or a sort of infection.

Signs that the Wisdom Tooth should be Extracted

Normally, when wisdom teeth grow, they cause pain and discomfort, and that’s okay. But certain symptoms shouldn’t be overlooked, and they are a definite sign that these teeth need to be removed.

• Infection: Pain and irritation when opening the mouth is a definite symptom for wisdom teeth removal. As they make their way out to erupt on the gum, they might cause swelling and irritation. This sensation means that they are not well fit in their position, and they should be removed, to prevent any permanent damage to the area.

  Also, many people experience swelling and pain in the entire mouth and cheeks area, which tends to become unbearable most of the time. Some wisdom teeth, as previously mentioned, grow partially, and when they do, they are most likely to collect food and plaque. This condition can lead to the swelling of the gum, tooth decay, or several infections between the tooth and the gum.

• Cysts: Odontogenic cysts can easily form in the mouth area if there is any inflammation, tooth decay, or a misplaced wisdom tooth. These cysts are normal sacs filled with liquid, which might accumulate and cause infection in the area surrounding the wisdom tooth.

• Gum and Jaw Diseases: When the wisdom tooth erupts, it will most likely push away the nearby teeth, which causes an annoying sensation in the gum and jaw. It can cause swelling and difficulty in opening the mouth, which causes more serious issues.

  When the gum becomes swollen and stiff, it is most likely to cause an infection, which immediately leads to gum disease. Its symptoms are fever, swollen lymph glands, pus coming out of the gum, difficulty in swallowing, and more.

Remedies for Wisdom Teeth Pain

In the majority of cases, people tend to remove their wisdom teeth – sometimes even before they erupt – to avoid sensations of pain and discomfort. However, some remedies can be taken to decrease the level of pain, but not to fix the whole situation.

These remedies include:

• Applying an ice pack: Ice reduces inflammation and redness, through its numbing effect. Holding an ice bag against the wisdom tooth for several minutes will lead to a gradual pain easing.

• Rinsing with salt water: This technique is the most famous tooth pain healing method. Studies have shown that rinsing the mouth (teeth and gums) with slightly warm water and some salt reduces inflammation by killing harmful bacteria and resulting in healthy oral hygiene. As previously mentioned, wisdom teeth are likely to produce cysts that can be infectious, so a daily rinse with salt water can keep those cysts away.

• Applying organic products: Soaking the area of the wisdom teeth with some organic healthy products may lead to healthy gum, such as peppermint, aloe vera, crushed garlic, turmeric, ginger, cloves, onions, and others. Each of these products has a soothing effect on the tooth, which reduces redness and inflammation and prevents any bacterial infection. In addition, some essential oils, like lavender and thyme, leave a soothing effect on the area.

• Taking over-the-counter medicine: The most obvious way to relieve the pain is to take over-the-counter medications, which can ease the sensation and inflammation. Some medicines are also taken, such as aspirin, to relieve all the pains associated with wisdom teeth. But it should always be noted that these medications should be consumed in the right doses, and not more.

Wisdom Teeth Removal

When the pain gets unbearable and hard to handle, and when all the home remedies fail to alleviate the numbing pain, a wisdom tooth extraction surgery should take place.

• How the procedure goes:

  Wisdom teeth extraction is a procedure that is done to remove one of the wisdom teeth or more. Some people ask to remove them altogether in order to finish with the process all at once, however, it causes extreme discomfort and pain.

  This surgery can be done at the hospital or the dental clinic. A dental specialist or surgeon can operate, and it takes almost 20 minutes or more to finish, depending on the situation. The patient should receive local anesthesia, in order to numb the area of the wisdom tooth.

  Sometimes the extraction process goes smooth; the dental surgeon applies pressure on the tooth, and then it comes out. While at times, it might get more complicated, where the surgeon might need to make incisions. As the wisdom teeth are removed, generally no pain will be felt thanks to the anesthesia.

  The surgery might cause some pain, swelling, and bruising around the gum and cheeks area. But everything heals with time. The dentist applies stitches to seal the gum, and normally these stitches either go away with time or are removed by the doctor after one week.

  So, up until one week, some discomfort will be felt, and blood clots will develop. However, later, soreness and stiffness gradually go away, and bruises heal. It is important to note that the healing process isn’t the same for everyone; it might vary depending on the situation of each patient.

  After removing the wisdom teeth, and for the next twenty-four hours, the patient is strictly forbidden to consume hot food and beverages, drink alcohol, smoke, rinse their mouth, or do any physical activity.

• The complications of the procedure:

  Wisdom teeth extraction is a surgical procedure; therefore, it is accompanied by some complications, especially if the patient does not follow the doctor’s orders.

  
  

  Some risks include:

  • Infection: The area of the extracted tooth might get infected, causing redness and swelling. Some weird-looking discharge might also be produced from the removal site, which requires medical attention.

  • Dry Socket: It also goes by the appellation “alveolar osteitis”, and it happens when blood clots don’t develop, and therefore the teeth don’t heal properly. This condition causes extreme pain and exposes the bone under the extraction site, which makes it prone to bacteria and more infections. A patient suffers from dry socket mainly if they smoke after the procedure, or if they don’t follow the dentist’s instruction about the type of food that should be consumed.

  • Nerve Injury: When removing the wisdom tooth, sometimes the trigeminal nerve gets affected, causing pain and numbness in the entire area (mouth, tongues, and chin). This condition might be fixable if the nerve wasn’t severely damaged. However, if it were extremely impacted, then it could be permanent, which would affect the entire lifestyle of the patient.

Preventions of Wisdom Teeth Pain

There are many daily habits that a person can do to minimize their probability of suffering from wisdom teeth pain. These practices will simply lessen the risk of gum infections or tooth decays, which makes the entire process of wisdom teeth growth simpler.

Some of these easy prevention methods are:

• Consuming a large water intake: When the person drinks a lot of water, they are washing away all the bacteria and germs out of the teeth. Getting used to consuming large quantities of water leads to a healthy set of teeth.

• Having good oral hygiene: There’s nothing simpler than practicing healthy oral habits in order to prevent any infection or dental issue. Brushing the teeth regularly (twice a day minimum), flossing (once a day minimum), and rinsing the mouth with a fluoride mouthwash are the best ways to ensure healthy oral hygiene.

• Staying away from sugary food: Ever since we were kids, we were constantly reminded to lower our sugar intake, as sugar attracts decay which harms the teeth. Cutting down on sugary foods and carbohydrates is a very effective method to prevent bacteria from growing, making the mouth healthy and clean.

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If you or anyone you know is suffering from wisdom teeth pain, call us today on (469) 562 4188 to book an appointment with our expert doctors.