Saturday, March 23, 2024

What To Do When Your Wisdom Tooth Is Infected

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What Is Wisdom Tooth Infection

How To Alleviate Infected Wisdom Tooth

The wisdom teeth are the molars. These are often the last ones that we witness and come around the age of 17-25 years.

Much like any other teeth present in your cavity, even wisdom tooth is prone to infection or other risks. If the condition is persistent, chances are that you will need medical help to rectify the condition.

Difficulty Opening Mouth And Swallowing Food

A wisdom tooth infection can make it difficult to open your mouth and swallow food or drinks. If you ever experience this symptom, it is important to seek medical attention. Other very serious medical conditions, such as tetanus or TMJ can also make it difficult to open your mouth.

Not everyone has wisdom teeth, so not everyone has a risk of having a wisdom tooth infection. For those who end up with a wisdom tooth infection, prompt treatment and care are critical.

Symptoms Treatments & Preventions For Wisdom Tooth Infections

Your wisdom teeth might seldom come up in your daily thought, and why would they? Not everyone has them in the first place, and unless theyre directly causing problems, you probably dont even know theyre present.

They can, however, cause many problems and since theyre so often out of mind, you might not even consider them. From mundane cavities to impaction, infection, and other problems, wisdom teeth should be monitored, cared for, and if necessary, removed.

Lets look at some ways that your wisdom teeth can be problematic, how to identify some of these problems, and how you can get relief.

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How To Treat Periocoronitis

If you are in pain, you will need to check in with your dentist. Its important not to ignore pain since its your bodys attempt to draw your attention to a problem. The sooner you have the problem evaluated, the better the chance for a simple, complete solution. You may need a long-term treatment plan to determine if your wisdom tooth will need to be extracted. Sometimes, the tooth will be fine if the excess gum flap is removed. This procedure, whether done by laser or more traditional methods, is called an operculectomy. Infections in the gums and tooth can spread to the jaw, or in very rare cases, the bloodstream, so its important to take this seriously.

Ways To Remove Food Stuck In Wisdom Tooth Hole

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Your wisdom teeth are the last of your teeth to erupt through the gums. Sometimes theres not enough jaw space to accommodate these final four teeth, and your dentist may recommend wisdom tooth removal.

Surgical removal of a wisdom tooth is done by a specialist, such as an oral surgeon. After surgery, your mouth will begin healing by forming a blood clot over the holes where wisdom teeth were located.

While the blood clot is forming, you may get food particles in the hole. This is perfectly normal. If the food particle isnt too uncomfortable, leaving it alone is an option, and itll eventually dislodge itself.

If you do choose to dislodge it, you must do so safely so that the blood clot or stitches arent disrupted, and so that you dont introduce bacteria into the area.

Avoid picking the food out with your fingers, tongue, or any instrument thats sharp or unsterilized.

Read on to learn how to safely remove food stuck in a wisdom tooth hole, and what to watch out for while a wisdom tooth hole is healing.

Dont rinse your mouth for the first 24 hours after surgery. After that, if food lodges in a wisdom tooth hole, you can rinse your mouth with warm salt water to help dislodge the food.

If salt water is uncomfortable, try rinsing the area with lukewarm herbal tea.

Some good ones to try are teas with anti-inflammatory properties, such as:

In some instances, your surgeon or dentist may recommend a germicidal mouthwash to kill bacteria.

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Causes Of Wisdom Teeth Infections

Impacted wisdom teeth occur when your third set of molars, otherwise known as wisdom teeth, dont grow in properly or all the way. When a wisdom tooth erupts only partially, the opening can serve as a breeding ground for bacteria, resulting in a wisdom tooth infection.

Otherwise known as pericoronitis, a wisdom tooth infection is serious and can be a bit tricky to treat. Thats because when your wisdom teeth dont come in all the way, a flap of gum will cover where the partial eruption started. Your wisdom tooth infection is unlikely to heal until this flap of gum is removed, your wisdom tooth comes in all the way, or the wisdom tooth is removed.

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There are three methods for treatment of pericoronitis depending on the severity of the condition:

  • Management of pain and resolving the pericoronal inflammation and/or infection
  • Minor oral surgery to remove the overlapping gingival tissue
  • Removal of the wisdom tooth
  • To manage the pain of acute pericoronitis, use over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen . If it is localized to the tooth and there has been no spread of the infection, a dentist thoroughly cleans out the area under local anesthesia. A dentist may prescribe an oral rinse containing chlorhexidine to keep the area clean. Otherwise, warm saltwater or diluted hydrogen peroxide can be used as an oral rinse. If there is swelling or fever, a dentist may prescribe oral antibiotics such as amoxicillin or erythromycin.

    When the molar can be useful for chewing and there is a desire to keep the tooth, minor oral surgery can be performed to remove the operculum. This will allow better access to properly clean the area and prevent the accumulation of bacteria and food debris. In some unfortunate instances, the gum tissue may grow back and create the same problem.

    Removal of the tooth is the most common treatment method since wisdom teeth oftentimes are poorly positioned and do not erupt completely. This method eliminates any future occurrences of a wisdom tooth infection.

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    How Do You Know If A Wisdom Tooth Is Infected

  • How Do You Know if a Wisdom Tooth Is Infected?
  • Sudden pain and swelling at the back of your mouth can be alarming its most likely due to an infected wisdom tooth.

    Whats wise about having wisdom teeth? Lots. Theyre your third and final molars and spring up when youre in your late teens or sometimes later, such as in your mid-20s. Theyre so called because its assumed you have a bit more knowledge, and wisdom, by then, compared to when you were a toddler and your baby teeth fell out and were replaced with permanent ones.

    The job of molar teeth whose name comes from the Latin molaris dens, or millstone tooth is to aid the chewing process by grinding up food and making it suitable for digestion. Over time, they have become developed in all kinds of mammals, including humans, but, unfortunately, when they start erupting, things dont always go according to plan.

    They can come in at wrong angles and cause trouble with other teeth, or become infected. Many people have their wisdom teeth removed because of this, and dont suffer any consequences by not having them, as their remaining molars are sufficient for grinding food. So how do you know if a wisdom tooth is infected? Lets take a look at the signs.

    Damage To Sensory Nerve:

    How serious is an infected Wisdom Tooth? – Dr. Srivats Bharadwaj

    A primary concern is a nerve within the lower jaw bone that supplies feeling to the lower lip, chin, and tongue. This nerve is frequently very close to the roots of the lower wisdom teeth. Having these teeth out between the ages of 12 and 18 usually provides shorter roots so that the nerve is not so close to the roots of these teeth. Occasionally, when the teeth are removed the nerve can become injured. This is particularly true for older patients. When local anesthesia wears off, patients may experience a tingling or numbing sensation in the lower lip, chin, or tongue. Should this occur, it is usually temporary and will resolve gradually over a period of weeks or months. On rare occasions it can result in a permanent alteration of sensation similar to having local anesthesia. Patients are informed of this risk prior to consenting to surgery.

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    In Some Cases Patients Might Also Experience An Ear Infection After Extraction

    How to know if a wisdom tooth is infected. You need to immediately seek your dentists help at the first sign of any of the tooth extraction infection symptoms. These should not be taken lightly as they may escalate to other dental. After the dental surgery, there are a few things to expect.

    A wisdom tooth that doesn’t entirely come in can become infected, causing a condition known as pericoronitis. You have a high temperature within the week following the procedure. This includes pain and discomfort in the area, as well as the surrounding muscles such as the jaw, neck, and throat.

    People normally have four wisdom teeth, according to the better health channel, with one tooth on the top and bottom of each side of the mouth 1. The wisdom teeth, and the gums surrounding your wisdom teeth, can become infected. Wisdom tooth pain may also be caused by decay, so look for an obvious hole.

    Like any other wound in the body, the hole where a wisdom tooth was extracted can become infected. In fact, having an infected wisdom tooth is a common symptom associated with impacted wisdom teeth. Dentists diagnose pericoronitis by carefully examining your wisdom teeth and checking for visual signs and symptoms of pericoronitis.

    For very rare cases, a deep neck infection in the cervical vertebrae may occur after tooth extraction. How is an infected wisdom tooth diagnosed? What to expect after wisdom tooth removal or a dental surgery.

    Pain in or around the tooth.

    Pin On Dental

    How Do You Get Rid Of Infected Wisdom Teeth

    An infected tooth is severe and can be a bit tricky to treat. Thats because when your wisdom teeth dont come in all the way, a flap of gum will cover where the partial eruption started. Your wisdom tooth infection is unlikely to heal until this flap is removed, your wisdom tooth comes in all the way, or the wisdom tooth is removed.

    A dental surgery- since 85 percent of all wisdom teeth need to be removed, many doctors will recommend extraction to prevent further wisdom teeth infection. Your dentist may recommend removing a wisdom tooth if it is causing problems or a procedure to remove the gum flap. This may require a referral to a specialist oral surgeon or maxillofacial surgeon.

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    Problems With Wisdom Teeth

    Some wisdom teeth erupt without causing any problems, but sometimes, wisdom teeth come through at an angle and push into the gum or the tooth beside them. This is called impaction.

    Impaction of a wisdom tooth can be painful and sometimes causes infection. Brushing these teeth can be difficult. Food and bacteria can get stuck between the wisdom tooth and the tooth next to it, leading to tooth decay and gum infections. Crowded wisdom teeth in the upper jaw often lean sideways and rub against the cheek. This may cause ulcers on the cheek and chewing problems.

    Your oral health professional may recommend that your wisdom teeth be removed if:

    • there is not enough room in your mouth for your wisdom teeth to come through properly removing a tooth early may help prevent a future problem
    • you are experiencing:
    • infection
    • damage to other teeth.

    They may also recommend keeping a watch on the tooth in case it looks like causing problems later.

    After Effects Of Wisdom Tooth Surgery

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    Unless you have severe wisdom tooth pain, dentists recommend that you schedule the surgery for a time when you dont have any pressing personal or work commitments. Thats because recovery can take some time. Immediate after-effects include:

    • Numbness for a short while in the chin, lower lip, tongue, and jaw
    • Feelings of weakness in the jaw bone
    • Infection in the treatment site that can occur even after a couple of weeks
    • Right after wisdom tooth extraction, the body responds by forming a blood clot in the empty space. Until the space does not fill with tissue, this clot protects the bone and nerve endings in the area. In the absence of the clot, the open nerves may begin to cause pain. Youll start to feel wisdom tooth pain around one to three days after the procedure. This condition is called a dry socket.
    • In case the empty socket fills with bacteria and food particles, you could develop pain and infection.

    If you do have any wisdom teeth infection symptoms or pain, make sure to come back for a checkup. Typically, a round of antibiotics can take care of the problem.

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    How Wisdom Tooth Removal Proceeds

    In case you need to get the wisdom tooth pulled, the oral surgeons at our Calgary dental clinic will perform the procedure. Depending on your pain tolerance and comfort levels, you can request for general anesthesia or sedation dentistry. The doctor will put you in a semi-conscious state where you are aware of the surroundings, but unable to feel pain. A local anesthetic numbs the area during the surgery. If needed, the oral surgeon removes the tooth in sections to make sure that there is no injury to the jaw bone and nerves.

    After Effects of Wisdom Tooth Surgery

    Unless you have severe wisdom tooth pain, dentists recommend that you schedule the surgery for a time when you dont have any pressing personal or work commitments. Thats because recovery can take some time. Immediate after-effects include:

    • Numbness for a short while in the chin, lower lip, tongue, and jaw
    • Feelings of weakness in the jaw bone
    • Infection in the treatment site that can occur even after a couple of weeks
    • Right after wisdom tooth extraction, the body responds by forming a blood clot in the empty space. Until the space does not fill with tissue, this clot protects the bone and nerve endings in the area. In the absence of the clot, the open nerves may begin to cause pain. Youll start to feel wisdom tooth pain around one to three days after the procedure. This condition is called a dry socket.
    • In case the empty socket fills with bacteria and food particles, you could develop pain and infection.

    How Is An Impacted Wisdom Tooth Diagnosed

    If your wisdom tooth or teeth are affected, then your Walk-In Dental Clinic Near Me would be able to decide by taking an X-ray of your mouth and reviewing your teeth. The x-ray would give you a complete picture of whether your teeth are bones or damaged. In such a case, impacted wisdom teeth, then your dentist would discuss the risks and benefits of impacted wisdom teeth surgery.

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    Pericoronitis And Wisdom Teeth

    Do all wisdom teeth need to be extracted?

    A soft-tissue growth over a partially erupted wisdom tooth is referred to as an operculum. If bacteria become trapped under the operculum, an infection called pericoronitis can develop.

    Pericoronitis is one of the most common indications for emergency extraction of a wisdom tooth and typically happens when there isn’t enough room for all of the teeth in the lower jaw.

    Wisdom Teeth Infection Complications

    Dealing with an impacted/infected wisdom/molar tooth while waiting for surgery

    Sometimes an infection in the wisdom teeth can lead to other health problems. These include:

    • A cyst This is a fluid sac that forms near to a tooth that can be caused by impacted wisdom teeth or infection. Cysts can affect the roots of adjacent teeth and may even weaken or damage the jaw.
    • Severe or recurrent infections Chronic infection from wisdom teeth can travel through the mouth, jaw, and respiratory tract which in rare cases can enter the bloodstream. This causes a serious health condition known as sepsis. Many dentists remove wisdom teeth at the first sign of trouble to prevent recurrent infections.

    Treatment for wisdom teeth infection generally depends on the cause and severity of the infection.

    That said, treatment usually involves

    • A thorough clean of the wisdom teeth and the surrounding teeth and gums
    • An antiseptic mouth wash
    • A course of antibiotics to treat the cause of the infection

    These methods will help to calm the situation and get the infection under control, but in most cases, the wisdom teeth will probably need to be extracted. This is to help prevent further infection and damage to soft tissues.

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    Swollen Or Tender Lymph Nodes

    The lymphatic system runs throughout the body and acts as a waste removal system, getting rid of cellular waste. When there is infection or inflammation in the body the lymph nodes can swell or become hard. If you suddenly have lumps under your jaw or in your neck that are hard to the touch, you may have inflamed lymph nodes, which could mean you have an infection.

    An Impacted Wisdom Tooth Could Cause A Sore Throat

    When a wisdom tooth does not erupt fully, it may be more prone to infection. Food particles, plaque and bacteria may build up around the flap of gum tissue surrounding your tooth. Itâs hard to clean an impacted tooth properly, so this can lead to a tooth infection, or âabscess.â

    An abscessed tooth can cause significant pain, and can also cause bacteria to spread throughout your mouth, resulting in a sore throat. This is the most common with the lower wisdom teeth.

    You may notice other symptoms, too. An infected wisdom tooth may cause headaches and jaw pain and tenderness. You may even see visibly red, inflamed, swollen tissue near the affected tooth. In severe cases, you may even develop a fever and have trouble opening your mouth or swallowing.

    The best option for treating an infected wisdom tooth is to extract the tooth and clean the underlying socket and tissue to remove bacteria. Once your tooth has been removed, your symptoms will disappear, and your mouth will heal quickly.

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