What to do against Wisdom teeth Pain

In the middle of one fine day, a wisdom teeth pain suddenly interrupts your routines. You are a young adult with a perfect set of cavity-free teeth, so you wonder what might be causing your current pain. You go to the bathroom mirror and check out your teeth set, only to see a tiny, white tooth emerging from the back row of your gums. Yes, you’re right. That’s your wisdom tooth erupting—time to gear up for a few days of wisdom teeth pain and discomfort.

What are wisdom teeth?

Wisdom teeth are teeth that emerge at the backmost part of your upper and lower jaw during the onset of adulthood—hence, the name “wisdom.” They are the last set of teeth to emerge in your oral cavity. We all have different wisdom teeth growth, depending on our genetic predisposition. Some of us will have them erupting during college; some during the mid-20s; and for some, they will never experience having wisdom teeth at all.

What causes wisdom teeth pain?

Our wisdom teeth are very slow to develop. They start developing at around the age of 8, and is fully developed at the age of about 18 to 24. Since human bones generally grow and gain strength during the childhood years, it takes a longer time for the wisdom teeth to reach its maximum growth. And after they fully develop, there’s one more thing they need to face: do they have enough space to emerge into?

If there is not enough space for a third molar (the wisdom tooth), chances are the wisdom tooth will push against the second molar on its way to erupt, damaging the roots of the second molar. This phenomenon makes the wisdom tooth an impacted one and is usually the cause of wisdom teeth pain. When this happens, the only way to alleviate the pain permanently is through surgical removal of the wisdom teeth and the treatment of the damaged second molar.

Here are other symptoms that may accompany wisdom teeth pain:

Pain while chewing
Difficulty in opening and closing the jaw
Unpleasant taste lingering in the mouth
Bad breath

 

Should the wisdom teeth be successful in growing out of the bone and among the row of molars, two things can happen:

Your wisdom teeth becomes one of your molar cavity teeth, and everything’s going to be fine
Your wisdom teeth partially appears or “peaks” out of your gums, resulting in an odd-looking white “stuff” at the back of your second molar.

If the second situation happens, the abnormal position of your wisdom tooth can cause plaque to accumulate within the corners where your teeth and gum meet, resulting in tooth decay. Tooth decay in this area can lead to infection of the gums called gingivitis. If not treated, this can cause facial swelling and a lot of pain, too.

Should I have my wisdom teeth removed?

It is always advisable to see your dentist and have him assess the orientation of your wisdom teeth with regard to its growth and eruption. He will have you undergo an x-ray of your oral cavity so that he can see clearly what needs to be done, since it is very difficult for him to see your wisdom teeth with them being so far behind your oral cavity. If your wisdom teeth pain is caused by impacted teeth that have no way of emerging in a normal way, the best option your doctor will give you is to have them extracted. If the pain is caus

ed by something else, say an infection of the gums due to normal the eruption process, your dentist will give you antibiotics, pain relievers, and pain-numbing gels to help alleviate the pain until your wisdom teeth pain disappears with the full emergence of your wisdom teeth.

What should I do with the pain while waiting for my operation?

If your doctor already scheduled you for extraction of wisdom teeth, there are a couple of things you can do to fight pain while waiting for your operation:

First Aid Home Relief

Dissolve one to two teaspoons of salt in a glass of water, and use the solution to gargle your mouth. The salt in the solution helps relieve the pain and at the same time deals with the liquids causing the pain in your wisdom teeth area.
Numb the pain with coldness. Get an ice pack and press it gently on the infected area. Never apply naked ice directly on an infected tooth; use cloth or a pack for this. Ice greatly reduces swelling and temporarily anaesthetises the area.
If your wisdom teeth pain is caused by a tooth decay somewhere within the corners of the area, you may buy eugenol over the counter. Eugenol is a great and effective pain reliever that you apply directly on the affected tooth. Just a few drops of eugenol is enough to stop the pain until you can get to your dentist.
There are several gum gels that you can apply directly on your gums to ease the pain. You may also put pain-numbing gel directly on whatever part of your wisdom tooth is exposed. Go to the nearest drugstore in the area and ask the pharmacist what brands work best.
Clove oil mixed with salt and pepper is also an effective way to alleviate wisdom teeth pain. Mix a pinch of salt and pepper with clove oil, and apply the solution directly where the throbbing pain originates.

Endorphins, our body’s natural pain relievers, can be produced by walking around and exercising. Exercising while suffering from toothache has actually been observed to lessen pain because of the rush of endorphins due to muscular activity. Try this, but do not overdo it especially if the pain worsens rather than lessens.

Take an analgesic. Treat the pain as you would a headache by taking the same medicine. While the effect may be different for each person, it is a fast and safe way to target pain right away—unless you are allergic to western medicine, in which case you can take any of the other remedies suggested above.

I currently have an emerging wisdom tooth—now what?

If you have a wisdom tooth that has just emerged, congratulations! That means your chances of having an impacted tooth is very, very minimal. Now that your wisdom tooth is growing, you naturally would want to make sure that it will emerge fully without developing any gum or enamel problems. Here are some ways to ensure that you are taking care of your emerging wisdom tooth well:

Seek the advice of a dentist. Have your wisdom tooth undergo an x-ray for your dentist to accurately predict how the eruption of your wisdom tooth will go about.
Take extra care, diligence, and patience in brushing your teeth around your wisdom tooth area. Since your tooth is still emerging, some corners hidden from your view can become temporary storages of stuck food parcels, resulting in bacterial growth and eventually, a tooth decay. Plaque can also build up in the areas where the tooth enamel meets the gums—target this area properly when brushing. The thing you should be most concerned about is how to keep your wisdom tooth eruption smooth and problem-free.

Gargle regularly with antibacterial gargles or a glass of water with salt. Doing this will continuously flush out liquids that may cause decay and pain. Saltwater can also soothe the gums which might be slightly painful as your tooth continues to emerge.
Do not drink liquids which are too hot or too cold. Your wisdom tooth and the gums surrounding it are very sensitive to temperature changes. A drastic change in temperature can lead to more pain for you. Take extra care to drink liquids which will not throw your cavity into an abrupt temperature imbalance.
Refrain from eating really hard food items and using your wisdom teeth area to chew them. Your wisdom teeth are still emerging, and because of the several complications that the whole process might encounter, it is better to steer clear of ultra-hard food. Think of it as having braces only in the area where wisdom teeth are growing. When you had to wear braces back in middle school, you were specifically instructed by the dentist to stay away from hard stuff to eat. Now do it, this time for your wisdom teeth.

Knowing how to deal with wisdom teeth pain can spell the difference between having a good turnout for your wisdom teeth or their permanent loss. It is always imperative that once you feel the first pangs of wisdom teeth pain, you set an appointment with your dentist right away. Do not sit around hoping that your teeth will just emerge smoothly and naturally. Several infections could get in the way with having fully-emerged wisdom teeth set, so take all the necessary diligence and precautions in taking action toward your goal of dealing with wisdom teeth pain.