The eruption of a wisdom tooth is a common phenomenon for many. As you reach your mid-20s, you are most likely to have your third-molars or the wisdom tooth erupted on the back of your jaw, just next to your molars. Although the wisdom teeth themselves are very painful at times, if they are infected, the pain is even more serious. If wisdom teeth infection occurs, you must visit the dentists at once.
Cause of wisdom tooth infection:
The very basic reason why wisdom teeth are infected is because of the position of their eruption. Since they erupt mostly with a slant and since they are right at the back of your jaw, it is quite difficult to brush and floss them. This negligence causes these teeth to stay unclean. This is the reason, why food debris and plaque, often get deposited there. This often promotes bacterial growth.
Not just the deposition of the food debris and plaque, but also in cases, where the wisdom teeth are not fully erupted, they are infected more. The infection is caused by the deposition of food debris and plaque inside the gum tissue that covers the wisdom tooth that is not completely erupted.Whatever the case may be, wisdom teeth removal is the best idea.
Symptoms of the infected wisdom teeth:
It is very important that you know and identify the infected wisdom tooth symptoms, so that you do not delay in getting the solution. The most common symptom of the infected wisdom teeth is the severe and excruciating pain. The pain often spread through the entire jaw as well as the neck and throat. At times the pain is so severe that it can cause headache.
Along with the pain, the other symptoms are swollen lymph glands and sore throat. Since the lymph glands are located just under the jaw, they are easily swollen due to the infection. Just like any other teeth infection, you will find that the entire face has swollen, including the jaws. If the infection has caused pus, the mouth will start to drain the pus. This leads to a bad smell from the mouth and it will be quite difficult for you to chew or eat food.
The solution and treatment:
If you suspect any of these symptoms, you must seek medical help from a skilled dentist at once. He will diagnose the condition and recommend solution such as infected wisdom teeth extraction. Although extraction is the best solution, the dentist might also recommend some over-the-counter pain relievers to help you cope with the pain. Antibiotics are also recommended by the dentists to treat the infection. In some cases, normally gargling with salt water helps to soothe the discomfort and heal the area fast.