How to Deal with Wisdom Teeth Pain
Wisdom teeth pain is a common issue, often caused by impacted wisdom teeth growing at odd angles.
While seeing a dentist is the best solution, here are some quick remedies for pain and swelling relief.
Dealing Wisdom Teeth Pain at Home
While waiting to see a dentist, you can try these home remedies to ease wisdom teeth pain:
- Hot/Cold Compress: Apply a heating pad or a towel-wrapped cold pack on your jaw to reduce inflammation and ease pain. Alternate between heat and cold for 10-minute intervals, finishing with cold.
- Ibuprofen: For pain relief and headache reduction caused by wisdom teeth, consider taking Ibuprofen (600mg) following the recommended dosage on the label. Consult your doctor before use, especially if you’re pregnant (use Tylenol instead if advised).
- Saltwater Rinses: Combat bacteria growth in your mouth due to wisdom teeth eruptions with a simple saltwater rinse. This will assist to reduce inflammation and improve healing around your wisdom teeth.
When Home Remedies Fall Short
If you’ve exhausted all these suggestions and your pain persists or worsens, it’s a clear indicator that the underlying issue may be more complex.
In such cases, seeking a professional for a thorough assessment and appropriate treatment is essential.
Understanding Wisdom Teeth Pain
Your wisdom teeth could be the culprit if you’re experiencing oral discomfort and can’t pinpoint the cause.
Look out for these signs indicating issues with your wisdom teeth:
- Bad breath
- Unpleasant taste in your mouth
- Difficulty opening your mouth
- Swollen gums
- Irritated gums
- Bleeding gums
- Red gums
- Formation of pus
- Jaw swelling
When wisdom teeth start hurting, removal is often the best solution.
Here’s why your wisdom teeth might be causing you pain:
- Impaction: Wisdom teeth can partially erupt, breaking through the gum’s surface. This is known as partial impaction. However, full impaction occurs when wisdom teeth never emerge from the gums, leading to severe pain, especially during eating and speaking.
- Damage to Other Teeth: Wisdom teeth can crowd your mouth, pushing your other molars together and causing misalignment. If these third molars grow crooked, it disrupts the alignment of your other teeth and increases the risk of infection in that area.
- Gum Disease: Crooked growth of wisdom teeth, pressing against adjacent teeth, can elevate the risk of pericoronitis—an inflammation of the gum tissue around the erupted wisdom tooth. This can result in gum disease, mouth pain, lockjaw, pus formation, bad breath, and swallowing discomfort.
Wisdom Teeth Removal: The Solution to Wisdom Teeth Pain
If you’re experiencing wisdom teeth-related issues, the most effective and preventative measure is to have them removed.
Here’s what you can expect during the removal procedure:
- Anaesthesia: To numb the area and lessen pain during surgery, your dentist or oral surgeon will apply a local anaesthetic.
- Tooth Loosening: Pressure is applied to the wisdom tooth to loosen it from its socket.
- Extraction: The dentist may make small incisions around the tooth and potentially divide the wisdom tooth into smaller pieces for easier removal. The entire procedure usually lasts a few minutes, but it can sometimes extend up to 20 minutes or more.
- Recovery: After the procedure, you may experience gum soreness, typically lasting from when the anaesthesia wears off up to about three days. However, some discomfort can persist for up to two weeks.
Wisdom Teeth Pain Management in Casula
Wisdom teeth pain can be excruciating, but there are ways to deal with it.
At Casula Dental Care, wisdom teeth removal is conducted with utmost safety and peace of mind. Each treatment plan is meticulously customised to suit your needs.
Visit your Casula dentist today!
Call us at (02) 919 99695 or request an appointment online.
We are located at Shop 17A Casula Mall, 1 Ingham Drive in Casula.