Do you have constant pain and bad breath? You may have developed a wisdom tooth abscess. The final set of molars are known as wisdom teeth, or third molars, which erupt in the late teens or twenties. As a result of their position in the mouth, they are hard to clean. Therefore, leading to bacteria and food debris collecting around them. This ends up in a tooth infection, which, if left untreated, can lead to pus pockets forming in your gums. Abscess is a name given to these pus pockets, resulting from your body trying to stop the infection from spreading.
Any teeth can get an abscess in the gums. Although, a wisdom tooth abscess can occur in the gums or the bone that holds your third molars. Partially erupted wisdom teeth have more chances of developing abscesses.
How Do I Know I Might Have Wisdom Tooth Abscess?
Wisdom tooth abscess brings with it a lot of pain and other symptoms. They look like this:
- You experience pain while eating.
- Swollen gums, mouth, glands, or even face.
- A constant toothache.
- A foul or bad taste in your mouth.
- Throbbing where your wisdom tooth is.
- Bad breath
- A bump or pimple on your gum.
- Fever.
How to Treat Wisdom Tooth Abscess?
You cannot treat an abscessed wisdom tooth all by yourself, so make an immediate visit to your dentist. If the wisdom tooth is left untreated, it can lead to other severe dental issues. Firstly, your dentist will identify an abscess with an x-ray, and this will also help determine if the infection has spread or not. After that, your dentist will:
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- Drain The Wisdom Tooth Abscess
The priority is to relieve the patient’s pain and get rid of the infection. First of all, your dentist will make a small incision to open the pus pocket. After that, they drain the fluid or the pus. Lastly, they will clean out any infection that might still be present.
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- Prescribe am Antibiotics Course
After draining the infection, your dentist will prescribe you an antibiotics course. It is necessary to complete this course to stop the infection from making a return.
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- Extract the Affected Wisdom Tooth
If your wisdom tooth is damaged beyond repair, or there is a high chance of the infection returning, your dentist will pull it out. This is the last resort, but it might come to wisdom tooth extraction. Although, removing the wisdom tooth will not negatively affect your oral health. You don’t need them to chew, unlike other teeth. You won’t miss them that much.
Conclusion
An abscess in your wisdom tooth is similar to one in any other tooth. The difference is that there is a chance of an abscess developing in the bone holding an impacted wisdom tooth. Moreover, there is a high chance of bacteria and debris collecting around your wisdom tooth, leading to this situation. If you have a pimple near your wisdom tooth, or any other dental emergency, just contact Gateway Family Dentistry at 661 829 7905