General Dentistry

Wisdom Teeth

Same day appointments available 

Duration

60mins

Appointments

1

Anaesthetic

Yes

Image of a distressed patient with a dental emergency, holding their jaw with a concerned expression. The patient appears to be in discomfort, possibly due to toothache or injury. They are sitting in a dental chair, awaiting prompt dental care and relief.

Widsom tooth pain?

Most adults have along the way experienced wisdom teeth problems. This is usually because of the eruption pain that occurs when they are coming through, much like teething in children. However, wisdom teeth are very unique in that they can have an abnormal shape, root formation and eruption position.

Quite commonly these teeth can become “impacted” which is the technical term to say that they are stuck behind the teeth in front. This is because the angulation they decide to erupt can be somewhat unpredictable.

If they erupt and cause pain, it is usually the soft tissue gum around the tooth which becomes inflamed and becomes a trap for food. This causes further inflammation and swelling around the gum. The opposing wisdom tooth can then bite down on the already inflamed gum causing further swelling, and a cycle of recurrent inflammation and infection occurs.

Most of the time this can be treated with good oral hygiene, cleaning the area well either with an electric toothbrush or professionally with a hygienist/dentist. If this persists and the swelling and infection worsens, it can result in pain, facial swelling, temperature and limited mouth opening.

common symtoms

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms below, you may need wisdom tooth extraction.

When wisdom teeth are erupting, they can cause the gum to swell up and become inflamed, this can in turn spread and result in facial swelling, which eventually resolves once the tooth has erupted. Using hot salty mouth rinses will help with inflammation and swelling, aiding recovery. If the wisdom teeth are impacted or stuck, they can cause an infection which will result in swelling especially around the face.

The process of wisdom teeth erupting can result in pressure around the jaw which can cause pain. However, if the tooth is stuck or “impacted” it can be a direct result of the pressure. In addition, if the wisdom tooth is erupting in an abnormal direction, it can result in decay in the wisdom tooth or decay in the tooth next door, resulting in pain.

This is usually a sign of an infection which has affected the muscles controlling the opening and closing of the jaw. If this infection has spread this far, it can be very difficult to treat as access to the tooth is limited. It will usually require a course of antibiotics if it is an infection or jaw exercise/jaw joint therapy if it is the jaw joint which has locked.

Need emergency wisdom tooth extraction?