Wisdom Tooth Pain: Signs You May Need Removal (And When It’s an Emergency)

While lots of people have no problems with their wisdom teeth, others might face issues. These teeth might emerge at the wrong angle, causing them to push into your rear molars. They might not fully emerge, leaving a flap of gum over the top and providing a space for bacteria to thrive. They can also lead to overcrowding, alignment issues and problems with your jaw.

The first sign that something is wrong with your wisdom teeth is often pain. This can affect the gums and soft tissue at the back of the jaw, or the neighbouring teeth. In this guide, we’re sharing some of the most common signs that you have issues with your wisdom teeth, and when to get immediate help if the issue has become an emergency.

Signs of problems with your wisdom teeth

The most common issue with wisdom teeth is impaction, which is when the tooth is trapped in the jawbone or gum and unable to emerge correctly.

When this happens, you might experience the following symptoms:

• Red, swollen or bleeding gums

• Bad breath and a bad taste in your mouth

• Difficulty opening your mouth fully

• Cavities in the surrounding teeth due to difficulties brushing your teeth

• Cysts in the gum

We recommend that you don’t wait for pain if you have noticed any of the issues above. Waiting for the pain to start before taking action will only prolong the discomfort.

Often, the first sign that something is amiss will be bleeding from your gums and tenderness, so this should be your sign to visit the dentist.

If you ignore this issue, then you risk allowing bacteria to thrive around the affected area. This could lead to a painful abscess and might require removal of more teeth than expected.

How can your dentist help?

Regular dental checkups are essential for monitoring wisdom teeth. From the ages of 17 to 25 when the wisdom teeth typically emerge, your dentist will take regular X-rays to monitor their progress. This will allow them to take action before any damage can occur.

If you haven’t been to the dentist for a while and are concerned that your wisdom teeth are becoming problematic, we encourage you to get in touch. There is no judgment as we recognise that there are a lot of reasons you might avoid the dentist, including phobias and past experiences.

We’ll do our best to make you feel comfortable so that you can tackle your wisdom tooth problem before it causes further issues.

When is wisdom tooth pain an emergency?

The location of the wisdom teeth means that it can quickly cause issues with your breathing and your ability to swallow. This can be life threatening if not treated. There’s also the risk of damage to your jaw bone if infection is left to spread.

You should go to A&E for a wisdom tooth problem if you experience any of the following:

• Difficulty breathing

• Changes to your vision

• Severe pain that is intense or sudden and not helped by painkillers

• Swelling to your jaw, cheek or neck

• Signs of infection such as a foul taste in your mouth or a high fever

• Limited movement in your jaw that makes it difficult to speak or swallow

• Severe and uncontrolled bleeding

This may need to be treated with an emergency extraction, which will help to relieve your symptoms.

Wisdom tooth removal procedure

Wisdom tooth removal is the same as any other extraction procedure, but it might be more complex if the tooth has emerged at an awkward angle. The tooth might need to be broken into smaller pieces to remove it.

Your dentist might handle this procedure in practice, or they might refer you to the hospital for an outpatient procedure. Your oral surgeon may need to remove a small amount of jaw bone to access the tooth, and this will need to be carried out in a surgical setting.

Once the procedure is completed, you should have no further issues with your wisdom tooth and recovery will take around 1-2 weeks.