Signs You May Need Wisdom Tooth Extraction

Dentist Blog

It's always important to listen to signs and signals from your body. For many people, this may come naturally with muscular aches and pains, but may tend to be ignored when the pain is in their mouth. Toothaches, jaw pain, and associated discomfort aren't normal and aren't things you're required to live with, and being aware of signs of distress is vital to maintaining your health.

Below, you'll find a guide to some warning signs that your wisdom teeth may need to be extracted. Staying aware of these signs can help guarantee that your oral health stays strong, and can allow you to avoid excessive discomfort and, eventually, serious dental problems.

Swollen Gums

One important thing to understand about issues with teeth is that those issues don't always manifest in the tooth itself. Indeed, because your teeth are largely composed of bone, the symptoms may be displaced to neighboring tissue in which you'll notice pain and swelling.

Obviously, given the proximity to your teeth, your gums are a prime candidate for this type of displacement. If you notice stiff or swollen gums, it may be a sign of a growing problem. If your gums feel warm to the touch or you notice discoloration, you should seek dental care immediately before an infection spreads to other vulnerable areas in your head.

Jaw Pain

Again, symptom displacement can manifest in various areas in your mouth. Because wisdom teeth tend to have long roots attaching to your jaw, that pain can radiate outward into other mouth structures and can magnify in the event of contact or high usage.

Your jaw is a frequently moving structure that's under a reasonable amount of contact stress on a regular basis. If talking, chewing, or other every day activities are causing pain to radiate through your jaw, your teeth are the most likely culprit. Other jaw issues should be examined, but given the frequency of problems with wisdom teeth, they should be closely inspected.

Temperature Sensitivity

Perhaps the first warning sign in a tooth itself that a problem is soon to grow is a noted sensitivity to hot or cold foods. While some tenderness may be normal, depending on your baseline sensitivity, reflex actions which cause you to be unable to handle temperature changes are serious warning signs. This sensitivity can frequently be the sign of an exposed nerve, and such a condition should be treated immediately before more serious problems develop.

For more information, talk to a professional like Family Medical Dental Center.

Share

3 May 2017