Wisdom tooth infection can spread to your jaw or other parts of your head or neck if it is not addressed. In an infected wisdom tooth, a root canal can be performed by your dentist or a specialist called an endodontist to treat a small abscess, potentially saving the tooth.
Before performing a root canal, the abscess may need to be drained if it is large. To release the pus, your dentist or endodontist will make a small incision in the gum. The area will then be rinsed with saline (salt water). To keep the region open and draining while the edema subsides, they might additionally insert a little rubber drain.
Infected Wisdom Tooth
Third molars at the back of the mouth called impacted wisdom teeth lack sufficient space to erupt or develop correctly. The final adult teeth to erupt into the mouth are wisdom teeth (erupt). The majority of people have two top and two bottom wisdom teeth in the rear of the mouth.
Infected wisdom teeth can cause discomfort in your jaws. They can also cause harm to adjacent teeth and other dental issues. Infections in wisdom teeth occasionally do not result in any obvious or sudden serious issues. However, because of their difficulty in maintaining cleanliness, they can be more susceptible to gum disease and tooth decay than other teeth.
Infected wisdom teeth that hurt or cause other dental issues are typically extracted.
Infected Wisdom Tooth Symptoms
Not all the time the infected wisdom teeth result in serious tooth abscess symptoms. However, if an impacted wisdom tooth gets infected, harms nearby teeth, or results in other dental issues, you can exhibit some of these symptoms or telltale signs:
- gums with red or swelling.
- bleeding or sensitive gums.
- jaw ache.
- swelling in the jaw area
- poor breath
- An offensive flavor on your tongue.
- having trouble expanding your mouth.
Whenever to visit a doctor
- If you encounter any signs of an impacted wisdom tooth behind your final molar, visit your dentist right once.
Causes of infected wisdom tooth
Third molars, or wisdom teeth, become impacted when there is insufficient space for them to emerge or grow correctly.
The emergence of wisdom teeth typically occurs between the ages of 17 and 25. Some persons have wisdom teeth that erupt normally and align with the teeth behind the second molars. The mouth is frequently too crowded, nevertheless, for third molars to form correctly. These tightly packed third teeth get caught.
An infected wisdom tooth may partially emerge and reveal the parts of the crown, or it may never break out through the gums. The tooth, whether totally or partially infected, may have certain conditions like:
- toward the following tooth, grow at an angle (second molar)
- grow at an angle with your mouth’s roof
- grow at a right angle to the neighboring teeth, appearing to “lye down” in the jawbone
- like other teeth, they can grow straight up or down, but they cannot come out of the jawbone
Complications in teeth infections
Impacted wisdom teeth can lead to several oral health issues, including:
1. Harm to adjacent teeth
The second molar teeth can be damaged or become more prone to infection if the wisdom tooth is adjacent to it or pushes up against it. This pressure on the molar may result in other teeth crowding or you will require orthodontic treatment to realign your teeth.
2. Cysts
In a pouch within the jawbone, the wisdom tooth grows. The sac may swell with fluid and develop a cyst, which might harm the nerves, teeth, and jawbone. Rarely, a tumor form; they are often benign (non-cancerous). Removal of bone and tissue may be necessary due to this condition.
3. Decay
Wisdom teeth that are partially impacted seem to be more susceptible to tooth decay (caries) than other teeth. This most likely happens because wisdom teeth are more difficult to clean and because food and bacteria can easily get wedged in between the gum and a tooth that has not fully erupted.
4. Gum Abscess
Pericoronitis (per-ih-kor-o-NI-tis), a painful, inflammatory gum disorder, is more likely to develop in that location when wisdom teeth are partially or completely erupted and impacted.
Prevention of Tooth Abscess
Although it is not up to you to prevent a tooth infection, you can schedule cleaning and checkup appointments every six months. It allows your dentist to keep track of the development and eruption of your molar and wisdom teeth.
However, it is best that before any symptoms appear you go for checkups. You can see the infected wisdom teeth on dental X-rays.
Tooth Abscess Treatment
Dental abscess treatment is the only way to get rid of tooth infections. Dentists typically treat dental abscesses with ease such as removing tooth, in case your teeth infection has not spread so far. The dentist will remove the pus.
If the abscess is a dental issue, you might require root canal therapy or even tooth extraction. Taking a local anesthetic make you pain-free.
