What should I do if my wisdom teeth hurt? Just know these points

I believe many people have experienced the torture of wisdom tooth inflammation, unable to sleep, unable to eat, and even speaking is painful.

Why are wisdom teeth so prone to inflammation? What should we do if wisdom teeth become inflamed?

01 How do wisdom teeth come about?

Wisdom teeth are the third molars on the alveolar bone, which is the last tooth in our mouth. They are called "wisdom teeth" because they erupt the latest, usually between the ages of 18 and 25, which is the stage when a person's mind matures.

Wisdom teeth are a legacy of human evolution. Our ancestors had larger jaws and teeth than modern people, and wisdom teeth helped them chew rough food fibers, such as roots and bark. As humans progressed, food became more refined, the chewing system gradually degenerated, and the size of human jaws became smaller, leaving almost no room for wisdom teeth to grow. Therefore, modern people's wisdom teeth often have difficulty erupting normally, causing many oral health problems and need to be removed as soon as possible.

02 Why do wisdom teeth hurt?

Wisdom tooth pain is often caused by the fact that wisdom teeth do not have enough space to erupt normally and become impacted, that is, they cannot grow out completely. When the crown of the tooth cannot fully emerge, it will be covered by the gums. Food residues are easily accumulated between the impacted crown and the covering gums, becoming a breeding ground for bacteria, leading to local infection and causing pericoronitis of wisdom teeth. This is what we often call "inflammation of wisdom teeth", which is swollen and painful and very annoying.

In addition, dental pulpitis caused by caries in the contact area between wisdom teeth and adjacent teeth may also cause toothache. Some wisdom teeth grow towards the teeth next to them, which may also cause the roots of adjacent teeth to be absorbed and loosened. In severe cases, it may even lead to serious complications such as maxillofacial space infection and endocarditis.

03 What should I do if my wisdom tooth hurts?

There are several ways to deal with wisdom tooth pain.

Flushing the blind pocket: As mentioned earlier, the crown surface of the impacted wisdom tooth will be covered with gums. At this time, a small bag-like structure with three sides sealed will be formed between the gums and the tooth surface. We call it a blind pocket. Food residues, soft plaque, and dental plaque will accumulate in the blind pocket. Even if we brush our teeth and rinse our mouths regularly every day, it is difficult to remove the food residues in the blind pocket. Therefore, if pericoronitis of wisdom teeth occurs, the blind pocket needs to be flushed first. Put a sterile syringe into the blind pocket for flushing to clean up the infected substances, and then use iodine glycerin for external disinfection. Generally, flushing should be continued for 3 days, once a day.

Anti-inflammatory and analgesic: In addition to physical washing, oral anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs are often needed when you have a toothache. These drugs can control infection and relieve pain, making us suffer less. Commonly used anti-inflammatory drugs in clinical practice are amoxicillin, metronidazole, etc., and analgesics can be selected from ibuprofen, diclofenac sodium, etc. But everyone should remember that medicines cannot be taken randomly, and we must ask doctors to guide us in taking medicines.

Remove as soon as possible: Many people are afraid of tooth extraction and always delay it. As a result, they wait until the wisdom tooth is too painful to be removed. However, the doctor will advise them not to have it removed because it is in the acute inflammation stage. If you want to solve the problem once and for all and avoid future troubles, you should wait until the symptoms such as redness, swelling, heat and pain caused by pericoronitis of wisdom teeth are relieved, and then go to the doctor to have the wisdom tooth removed as soon as possible.

04 Precautions after wisdom tooth extraction

Wisdom tooth extraction is a surgery that is neither big nor small. You must follow the doctor's instructions carefully after the surgery to recover better. Let's take a look at the precautions after the surgery:

1. Postoperative bleeding. If you see that your saliva is bright red after tooth extraction, please do not panic. Because even if the "blood clot" in the alveolar socket is well formed, a small amount of bloody secretions will seep into the saliva. So in most cases, this is actually bleeding, and the amount of bleeding is not large, and no special treatment is required. It usually lasts until the morning of the second day after surgery.

2. Postoperative bleeding. Postoperative bleeding is a common complication, which is related to the difficulty of the operation, the patient's physical condition and local inflammation. Generally speaking, doctors will ask us to bite a cotton ball for 30 to 60 minutes after tooth extraction. If the alveolar socket continues to bleed after the cotton ball is removed, it is considered to be post-extraction bleeding. In this case, please first continue to bite the tooth extraction wound with a spare cotton ball. If the bleeding still cannot stop, you should go to the hospital for treatment.

3. Postoperative pain. After the postoperative anesthetic wears off, we will begin to feel pain in the wound. Some people even experience limited mouth opening and swallowing pain. These pains will ease within 1 to 3 days. You can take painkillers to facilitate rest. If the pain does not subside and there is long-term severe pain for several days after surgery, it may be that the wound has been infected or the adjacent teeth have been inflamed. Please see a doctor in time.

4. Postoperative swelling. Swelling after tooth extraction is a very normal phenomenon. Some serious cases may even be jokingly called "bee dog". To reduce swelling, you can apply cold compress after surgery. The method is: use a cold water towel or a dry towel wrapped in ice cubes to apply cold compress to the face opposite the tooth extraction wound for 15 minutes every 15 minutes. Do not apply cold compress for a long time to prevent frostbite. In addition, taking dexamethasone orally before or after surgery can also prevent swelling to a certain extent.

5. Fever after surgery. Due to the large trauma of surgery, some people will have a low fever in the afternoon and evening of the day of surgery. Don't be nervous at this time, just get enough rest and take antibiotics as prescribed by the doctor. In most cases, there is no need for infusion.

6. Local cleaning. It is generally not recommended to brush your teeth or rinse your mouth on the day after tooth extraction. If you feel that the bloody smell is too strong, you can rinse your mouth gently with clean water. You can use different types of mouthwashes on the market, or add a small amount of salt to homemade cold boiled water.

7. Eating. You can eat about 2 hours after the operation. At this time, it is best to eat softer food. Do not eat hard or hot food, otherwise it will affect the formation of blood clots in the alveolar socket and the recovery of the wound. Try to avoid affecting the wound when eating. You can chew with the teeth on the side where the teeth were not extracted. It is not advisable to use a straw for liquid food.

8. Rest. Although tooth extraction seems to be a quick operation with a small incision, recovery during and after the operation often requires a lot of physical energy. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you avoid strenuous physical activities and get enough sleep within 72 hours after the operation.