What To Do When Wisdom Tooth Pain Is Unbearable?

Wisdom teeth are notorious. They can take a long, long time to fully emerge, and they can be dreadfully painful while doing so.

So, what to do when wisdom tooth pain is unbearable, and your dentist can’t do anything about it? Distract yourself with reading this article, and we may even have some hints and tips for you too!

What To Do When Wisdom Tooth Pain Is Unbearable?

Wisdom tooth pain is horrible, there’s no doubt about it. However, there are a few things that you can do to keep on top of it.

• NSAIDS. Over the counter painkillers can help immensely with wisdom tooth pain – just keep an eye on the dosage and always follow the instructions.
• Clove oil. This natural remedy is a fantastic local anaesthetic, which can numb the area enough that you can function.
• Salt water rinse. Salt water can help to kill bacteria, so if you think an infection might be starting then soothing the area with salt can help.
• Ice. Holding an ice pack (or even frozen peas wrapped in a towel) to your face can help to dull the pain of wisdom teeth.
• Turmeric. Turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory, so making a paste and applying it to the affected tooth (then rinsing off after a few minutes) can really help.

Don’t suffer in silence – wisdom tooth pain really isn’t fun, so anything you can do to help reduce it is a good idea.

Obviously keep an eye on the area, and if you notice signs of infection then head straight to your dentist for an emergency appointment.

This NHS article is not specific to wisdom tooth pain, but hopefully it will help give you some answers.

Is Severe Wisdom Tooth Pain An Emergency?

Pain when your wisdom teeth come through is so common it is considered normal. However, how bad is too bad?

Obviously we are all different, and we all tolerate pain in different ways. If your wisdom tooth pain is stopping your from functioning, you know it’s time to do something about it.

If the area becomes swollen and infected, this is classed as an emergency – the infection must be treated, generally with antibiotics.

Once the infection is dealt with, your dentist can help you work out what to do next – whether the teeth have to be removed or whether you can deal with it until they grow through.

If you can think of nothing else but the pain from your teeth, or the pain is spreading to your face, neck and head, it is definitely time to do something about it.

You can either book an emergency visit with your dentist, or book into see your GP, or if neither of these are available then you can always go to your local minor injuries or A&E.

Why Does Wisdom Tooth Hurt So Bad?

Wisdom tooth pain is notorious. Most of us have experienced it, to some degree, at some point in our lives.

The reason for this is partly because they are big teeth! Our ancestors would have needed them for grinding up tough plant materials, so they have to be strong.

Another reason is that they emerge into a mouth that is already filled with teeth, and they can often become impacted.

An impacted wisdom tooth is one that cannot emerge from the gum line, because it comes into contact with other teeth that stop it from growing out as it should.

Cavities can also cause problems with wisdom teeth – they are at the very back of the mouth and as such they are often harder to clean.

If you have any concerns about your wisdom teeth, your first port of call should always be your dentist – they can help you to fix the problem.

In the meantime, have a look at this video that might help you out with the pain:

How Should I Sleep With Wisdom Tooth Pain?

It may sound strange, but the way you sleep can actually affect your wisdom tooth pain. This also explains why wisdom tooth pain is often worse at night!

When we sleep, we tend to lie down almost flat, which causes the blood to pool around our heads and faces more, which is doesn’t when we are upright.

If you are aware of this, you can take steps to prevent it, if you are currently going through wisdom tooth pain that is affecting your sleep.

Try propping yourself up on pillows – this may not be the comfiest way of sleeping, but it can help some of the blood to spread elsewhere than your head.

Keeping yourself slightly more upright when you sleep should help to ease the wisdom tooth pain, until they’re fully grown or fixed by your dentist.

How Do I Know If My Wisdom Tooth Is Infected?

Wisdom teeth are not the easiest teeth to grow – they are big, and they come much later in life, when all other teeth are generally established.

So how do you tell the difference between a normal amount of wisdom tooth pain and one that is infected?

If you start noticing symptoms such as severe pain that does not go away in a few days, it could be a sign that an infection is brewing.

If your gums start to swell – not just around the wisdom tooth site, but in the rest of your mouth – this can also be a sign that all is not well.

If your gums start to go red and bleed, you can also be fairly sure that your wisdom tooth is infected.

Bad breath, or a metallic and unpleasant taste in your mouth, can also highlight a wisdom tooth that is getting infected.

If you notice any of these symptoms, or even if you are concerned at all, make an appointment with your dentist who will be able to help you see a way forward.

Final Thoughts

Wisdom teeth, when they are fully grown out of the gum and not infected or filled with cavities, should cause you no problems at all.

But my goodness, you know about it if you have wisdom tooth pain! Hopefully you are now armed with some ideas about why it happens and what to do if it happens to you.