Are you getting pain in the back of your jaw and gums? You may have a wisdom tooth coming through, and it may cause more problems than just discomfort if left unchecked. Ignoring it can result in serious damage to your health, and you should contact a dentist immediately.
Luckily, removing a wisdom tooth is never as bad as rumors suggest. Below, we give a guide on everything you need to know about emergency wisdom tooth removal.
What Counts as an Emergency?
The wisdom teeth sit right at the back of your jaw. When they come through, some people do not have enough room in their mouth. This can cause them to erupt from the gum misaligned, and they can push on other teeth and the jaw.
If wisdom teeth can not erupt at all, then you get an impacted wisdom tooth. This can cause extreme pain, and the problem may not even be visible. Symptoms can include gum swelling, infection, a stiff jaw, and moving of the teeth around the area.
Complications
Waiting to fix a wisdom tooth should never be put off. In addition to pain, it can cause some long-lasting problems. Firstly, you may find that they begin to misalign all your teeth, as the wisdom tooth pushes the delicate balance in your mouth out of line.
When doing this, it can also cause damage above and below the gumline. This may require repair to teeth other than the wisdom. You could even require braces further down the line to correct teeth knocked out of place.
One of the more gruesome and very common, symptoms of an ignored wisdom tooth is a cyst. The wisdom tooth sits in a sack, and this becomes infected. As it fills with fluid it infects the jawbone, teeth, and nerves and can manifest in serious swelling.
As they are hard to reach at the back of the jaw, cleaning wisdom teeth is tough. They can hold bits of food and bacteria that decay the tooth. This results in a myriad of problems, including tooth and gum decay.
Emergency Wisdom Tooth Removal Process
Luckily, taking the wisdom tooth out is an outpatient service. This means you can be back home on the same day. You do not have any overnight stays and can recuperate in the comfort of your own home.
The process will start with an examination of the oral cavity. This will be followed by an X-Ray, to give the dentist a better idea of the bigger picture. After this, he should know how to remove your wisdom tooth and the best way to do it.
You will then make an appointment to return and have the tooth taken out. Depending on how busy the surgery is and your level of pain, you may even be able to get an appointment on the same day.
The appointment will be done under anesthesia, so you do not need to worry about pain during the operation. Discuss with your dentist if it will be done under local or general anesthetic. Local will mean you awake during the operation, while the general will send you to sleep.
As the anesthesia wears off, you will start to get feeling back little by little. This will be the time you need to manage the pain, usually at home. You may experience swelling.
You will not be allowed to drive after the procedure due to the anesthetic. Make sure you have arranged a ride home and have someone to travel with you.
Recovery
The period of recovery all depends on the severity of the problem, and the type of wisdom tooth procedure you have had. If the operation was fairly straightforward, you may even be able to resume your routine the next day. However, it is advised that you plan to be out for at least three or four days.
Tooth pain after wisdom tooth removal can even last as long as seven days. This is usually only in severe cases. Regardless, anyone may still feel discomfort and swelling up to this time.
After Care
Much of the pain after the operation is easy to manage, but it falls down to you to take care and attention with management. Bleeding is normal, along with the swelling, and should halt after a week. If not, call your dentist.
An ice pack is a great tool to use so that you can reduce swelling. In the days after the operation, wrap it in a towel and hold it against your jaw or cheek.
For around three days after the operation, stick to soft and easy to eat foods. Hard foods, food with sharp edges, and food that crunches can work its way into the extraction site and be hard to remove. This will result in infection.
Soups, smoothies, and soft cheese are a great idea. However, make sure they are at a moderate temperature and not extremely hot or cold.
Your dentist may offer prescription pain killers to manage the problem. However, they are very infrequent as they can result in addiction.
Any antibiotics prescribed should be taken to ward off infection. Make sure you complete the whole course. You can also rinse your mouth regularly with warm, saltwater to keep the mouth and extraction cavity sanitary.
Never Put It Off
Emergency wisdom tooth removal should never be put off. Doing so can cause serious health problems, and the operation is not as invasive or as painful as many people believe.
Jenkins, Morrow, and Gayheart deliver state of the art dental care and compassionate therapy for anyone who is worried about dental surgery. If you believe you have wisdom tooth problems, then contact us for an appointment so we can relieve your pain as quick as possible.
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