Feel a twinge in your tooth or jaw? It could be a warning from your wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth are the four permanent molars that emerge during your late teens and mid 20s. If you are lucky, your wisdom teeth will grow in neatly beside their neighbors without causing trouble. If you are like most people however, you may experience problems with your wisdom teeth that can eventually cause tooth and jaw pain.
Problems
Some wisdom teeth become impacted as they try to erupt. An impacted wisdom tooth is one that fails to fully break through the surface of your gums. The tooth may remain completely below your gum line, break partially through or grow in the wrong direction toward a neighboring tooth. A wisdom tooth can become impacted if you have a small jaw where there is not enough room for the tooth to fit.
Results
An impacted wisdom tooth can cause pain in the affected tooth and in your jaw. It can also lead to other problems later on. An impacted wisdom tooth that has only partially emerged can trap food and plaque particles around your tooth and gums, causing a bacterial infection. An impacted wisdom tooth that grows in the wrong direction may push against a neighboring tooth and misalign your bite or damage the tooth. You might also develop a fluid-filled sac called a cyst near the impacted wisdom tooth.
Treatment
Wisdom tooth and jaw pain may indicate that one or more of your impacted wisdom teeth need to be extracted. Before the extraction procedure and depending on your preference, the dentist will either numb your mouth and jaw with a local anesthetic or use sedation anesthesia to make you completely unconscious. A wisdom tooth extraction involves creating an incision in your gums, removing the affected tooth and closing the wound. After the procedure your dentist will give you instructions for follow-up care.
Risks
According to the Mayo Clinic, there are several potential risks associated with having a wisdom tooth extracted to relieve tooth and jaw pain. One such risk is the possibility of nerve damage. If a nerve is damaged during the procedure, the sensation in your tongue, chin or bottom lip may become altered. There is also a risk that the bone in your affected tooth socket may remain exposed once the tooth has been removed. According to the National Institutes of Health, your risk of experiencing complications increases after the age of 30 because your bone loses flexibility as you age.
Home Remedies
There are a number of things that you can do at home to get some relief from wisdom tooth and jaw pain. Over-the-counter pain medications such as Tylenol may help to ease some of the pain. Placing an ice pack on your jaw will numb the area and help to reduce swelling. Also, try to avoid eating hard foods that require you to place pressure on your tooth and jaws.
