There is no doubt that health and critical thinking complicates more with age. One withstanding medical problems of most people is oral hygiene. From keeping a great smile to preventing bad breath, oral health is as tricky to maintain -much more with the onset of wisdom tooth. This dental situation is a bit rough since pain and discomfort are the usual company. However, others are lucky enough to be exempted from this stage (but most are not). The wisdom tooth appears at around the age of 17 to 21. But what happens next? How can you manage this pain-staking dental situation? What if it brings tooth infection and bad breath with it? Is wisdom tooth abscess an emergency?
How Do I Know Its The Wisdom Tooth?
While people leave a room of improvement for skills, the gums do not leave as much. Think of the wisdom tooth as a late bloomer to your set of teeth. Instead of undergoing the normal tooth shedding, it does not. On the contrary, it starts to grow when people start to get on with their lives. The wisdom tooth will typically sit at the 
- Pain
- Redness
- Tenderness
- Swelling
With these symptoms, you will be on the hunt on What Is The Best Painkiller For Toothache. And even when the pain resolves after the growth, most wisdom tooth does not come alone. People could grow one or unfortunately, grow all four. It becomes more like “wisdom teeth” in this case. While pain and swelling are common symptoms, these could also be your gum’s cry for help. With the wisdom tooth breaking at the surface of the gum, bacteria could enter and make things serious. A wisdom tooth could also get naughty and grow sideways leading to an impacted tooth. And when these things happen, it could lead to worst-case scenarios.
The Dark Side Of Wisdom Tooth
If you think the wisdom tooth is not worth the extra molar, wait until you learn of its complications. These drawbacks are the reasons why professionals often recommend to remove the wisdom tooth/teeth instead. An impacted tooth is only on the tip of the iceberg when it comes to wisdom tooth complications. Aside from inducing pain, the wisdom tooth also provides an optimum condition for the bacteria to grow. With the failure to develop properly, wisdom teeth become difficult to brush and floss. And before you know it, tooth abscess, bad breath, and tooth infection have set in. Here are some points to check if you think you have wisdom tooth abscess:
- Sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures
- Severe and throbbing toothache
- Fever
- Swelling of the face and lymph nodes
- A gush of foul-tasting and smelling fluid
- Difficulty in breathing and swallowing
How Can I Remedy Wisdom Tooth Abscess?
The dental abscess rises from different parts of the wisdom tooth. It could be from its root, sides or at the gums. Nevertheless, this medical condition is a serious one. With the bacteria in the mouth, they could easily thrive on the opening of growing wisdom tooth. Aside from the accompanying pain, lack of proper intervention could lead to bad breath, tooth infection, and gum disease. Some cases of wisdom tooth abscess could even infect neighbouring teeth. If you think you have the wisdom tooth abscess, you should call for your dentist immediately. Or you could always find an emergency dentist during worse settings. If the pain becomes unbearable, you could do the following while waiting for dental care:
- Take over the counter (otc) drugs such as ibuprofen or aspirin to remedy the pain.
- Avoid too hot or too cold food.
- Eat at the opposite side of the mouth.
- Brush softly and skip the floss around the wisdom tooth abscess.
How Dentists Treat Wisdom Tooth Abscess?
Depending on the cause of the abscess, the dentist would perform different procedures. Commonly, dentists would do one of the following processes to remedy tooth abscess:
- Root Canal Treatment. By drilling on the tooth, this method will extract the abscess from the root.
- Wisdom Tooth Extraction. Taking out of the wisdom tooth abscess is the most common procedure for this case. Extraction is the next step if treating the root canal is not feasible anymore. Hence, it is essential to visit the dentist as early as possible during wisdom tooth abscess.
- Incision and Drainage. To drain the abscess, the dentist would create a small cut on the area. However, draining the pus would only provide temporary relief and solution to the problem.
All In All
The growth of the wisdom tooth is unavoidable. But the troubles that come with it are manageable and treatable. For some, the wisdom teeth are keepers, but it could only be a constraint for others. With bad breath, tooth infection, and decay, wisdom tooth abscess is worth the attention. And it is best to deal with it before worse setting would set in. Although there could be temporary remedies and medicines available, these are only short reliefs. Going to the right professionals and trusted clinics are what makes the most effective action during this dental emergency. Hence, there goes without saying to visit the dentist regularly.
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