Many patients come to the surgery complaining of pain with their wisdom teeth. Here is some information on the cause and what you can do to treat wisdom tooth pain.

Symptoms
• Pain on opening mouth or chewing around the last molar
• Swelling
• Reddening of the gum surrounding the wisdom tooth
• Bad taste in mouth and foul smell

The technical term for pain in the gum surrounding the wisdom tooth is called pericoronitis. This occurs from bacteria causing inflammation around the erupting wisdom tooth.

Bacteria from trapped food proliferate under the flap of gum that is formed from the erupting wisdom tooth

What can be done to prevent or treat pericoronitis?

The simple solution is to remove the source of the inflammation which in this case is the trap food or bacteria. This can be done by the following methods:

• Single tufted tooth brush to clean deeply around the wisdom tooth

• Warm salt water rinses (small cup of warm water with two tea spoons of salt)

• Corsodyl mouth wash (be careful as this can stain your teeth brown)

Very occasionally an infection can develop. Antibiotics are only prescribed in severe cases where there is limited mouth opening or when the patient feel very unwell.

If you have any concerns about wisdom teeth then please do not hesitate to speak to one of the St Stephens dental team.

Giving you the confidence to smile