Infected Wisdom Teeth Symptoms

The third molars are commonly known as 'wisdom teeth', since they erupt last, sometimes around late teens or even in early twenties, when you are supposed to have gained wisdom! Adults may have four wisdom teeth; but the number may vary from person to person. Some may have more or fewer wisdom teeth, or even none at all. Generally, when wisdom teeth develop, they become impacted, and lead to overcrowding of teeth in the mouth. This results in several dental problems and oral health problems like gum infections, tooth decay etc.

Symptoms of Impacted Wisdom Teeth

• Irritation: Due to the space insufficiency in the mouth, a wisdom tooth sometimes gets trapped and leads to irritation. You may feel uneasy and uncomfortable because of the irritation.
• Pain: A localized infection around the teeth, known as 'pericoronitis', may leads to pain in the affected area. Teeth pain is the most common symptom amongst the infected wisdom teeth symptoms.
• Facial Swelling: Facial swelling can be experienced in case of impacted wisdom teeth which have erupted at wrong angles or at wrong positions. But it can be because of worsened pericoronitis too. The swelling can also be noticed around the ear and the throat. This is the most common symptom amongst the impacted wisdom teeth symptoms.
• Sour Throat and Nausea: When pericoronitis spreads into the deeper tissues of the face and jaw, sour throat or nausea are observed as the main symptoms.
• Fever: Many times, due to pericoronitis, the body temperature can rise and fatigue can be noted.
• Difficulty in Swallowing: Difficulty in opening the jaw, difficulty in swallowing can be experienced if the teeth are infected and are causing severe pain.
• Pus: Sometimes, an infection leads to formation of pus near the gum.
• Swollen Lymph Glands: Because of the worsened infection or impacted wisdom teeth, there can be swelling of the lymph glands under the jaw, resulting in pain in throat.
• Reddened and Inflamed Gum: Because of the erupting wisdom teeth, gum around the teeth is generally reddened or inflamed.
• Difficulty in Brushing: Upcoming teeth lead to difficulty in brushing and flossing.
• Chewing Problem: Impacted teeth may grate against the cheek, after leaning sideways. This may lead to ulcers on the cheek resulting in difficulty in chewing.
• Cysts or Tumor: Very rarely, cysts or tumors are observed around the impacted wisdom tooth. Unerupted tooth, which is impacted in the jawbone, may result in the formation of a cyst.
• Headache: An impacted or somewhat erupted wisdom tooth can cause headache and constant jaw pain.
• Bad Breath: An infected wisdom tooth leads to bad breath.

All these wisdom teeth symptoms can be handled easily.

Home Remedies to Lower Wisdom Teeth Pain

• Over the counter pain relievers can help a lot.
• Swishing with warm salt water will help in soothing the gums.
• Antibiotics, when taken under the guidance of a dentist, will be quite effective in relieving the pain due to infection and controlling the infection.
• Dental care can prevent worsening of the infection. If the infection is detected at earlier stage, it can be easily cured. Regular dental checkup is necessary, as it helps detect the problems at initial stages.
• As the wisdom teeth are located at the back of the mouth, they are more vulnerable to tooth decay. Practicing good dental hygiene, by adequate brushing and flossing, will definitely restrict the infection from spreading deeper.
• Wisdom tooth needs to be removed, if the infection or pain persists. If the impacted wisdom tooth is obstructing the jaw movement or creating problems while chewing, then it can be removed by the dentist. In very rare cases, surgical removal is suggested by the dentist. The extraction of wisdom tooth can be as easy as that of any other tooth.

Oral hygiene is very much significant for healthy gums and teeth. Dental health care information can always help you learn how to deal with painful wisdom teeth or any other symptoms regarding the teeth.