Stuck Wisdom Tooth? Find Temporary Pain Relief With These Tips
Posted on: 26 May 2017
Wisdom teeth generally erupt between 17 and 21 years of age, or slightly older. But for some people, their wisdom teeth stay below the gumline or inside the jawbone and cause significant discomfort. Teeth that don't emerge properly are impacted and require an extraction. Until you seek dental treatment for your tooth, here are things you can do to ease the pain temporarily.
Clean Your Mouth With a Water Flosser
Your impacted tooth can decay if you don't keep it free of plaque, food, and bacteria. A decayed tooth can potentially develop an abscess, or infection, that spreads to the jawbone below it. If you can't use a regular toothbrush because of your bad tooth, clean your mouth with a water flosser instead.
A water flosser typically comes with special "heads" that stream or shoot water into your mouth, depending on the power setting you select. If your tooth hurts whenever you place pressure on it, use a low setting. Although it may take you longer to clean your mouth, the low setting may not cause too much discomfort in your wisdom tooth.
If your tooth is extra sensitive to cold, warm, or hot temperatures, use tepid (lukewarm) water to rinse your mouth. After you rinse your mouth, you can move to the next step.
Alleviate the Swelling in Your Jaw
Impacted wisdom teeth can also cause your jaw to swell up. The swelling can keep you from sleeping well at night or eating. You can ease your swelling and possibly soothe your tooth by placing a cold compress or pack on your jaw.
You can use the compress up to three times a day. Only leave the compress on your jaw for 15 minutes, then remove it. If the compress makes your jaw or tooth hurt worse, it may be too cold to use. In this case, take a break and rest your head on several pillows. Raising your head may help reduce the swelling in your face and jaw by allowing the fluids to drain.
If you choose to take medication to ease the swelling and inflammation in your jaw and tooth, call a dentist first. Until you actually see a dentist, you really don't know how impacted or infected your tooth is. You want to make sure that you take the appropriate medications for your pain and swelling.
Schedule an appointment with a dentist who does dental extractions as soon as possible. You may need to extract your tooth right away to prevent complications later.
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