Wisdom Teeth Swelling – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Wisdom teeth develop in the age group of 16-25 and normally there will be 4 teeth, having a pair on each sides of oral cavity. Often there will be two wisdom teeth on lower jaw and two on the upper jaw. For some people there may be more number of wisdom teeth (supernumerary teeth) and for some there may be less number (hypodontia). There are cases in which wisdom teeth develop in irregular manner affecting the gums of other teeth on the sides. In that case, the dentist will remove the wisdom teeth.

There would be swelling on the area of the wisdom tooth after its removal. It is quite normal to develop inflammation after any dental procedure which would heal after few days. The extent of swelling and time taken for complete healing varies from one person to other. Any type of swelling on the teeth will take one or two days to reach its peak after which it will start reducing in size. In case the swelling does not subside even after a week, you can consult your dentist for treating the same. Swelling in the wisdom teeth indicates the presence of infection.

Causes :

The major cause of wisdom teeth swelling is infection caused by Tooth decay. The area of wisdom teeth region is difficult to access and hence many people would not brush it properly. On account of this, it gets infected fast and it spreads the infection also at fast pace. Sometimes, there may be swelling after the removal of wisdom teeth which will settle down after few days by taking medicines.

Any injury or trauma caused to the wisdom teeth can also develop inflammation. Sometimes, cyst may develop on the area surrounding the wisdom teeth giving rise to infection and swelling. Poor oral hygiene and improper brushing methods are one of the reasons for wisdom teeth swelling.

Symptoms :

When there is inflammation on the wisdom teeth it would affect the surrounding area of the oral cavity as well. The swelling will be prominent and visible and often bulging in the corner of the mouth. In case the wisdom teeth located in the lower jaw gets infected then it would cause swelling on the corner of the mandible. If it is due to upper jaw wisdom teeth then you can find swelling on the temporal mandibular joint. Apart from swelling, there may be pain, Headache, Fever, and difficulty in eating and drinking. For some people the swelling is so severe, that it infects the ear lobes and causes pain in the ear.

Treatment :

• Your dentist will look out for the actual cause that is responsible for causing inflammation on the teeth. The purpose of treatment will be oriented towards protecting the teeth by means of root canal treatment.
• The doctor will go for removal of wisdom teeth only if it is badly infected or completely decayed spreading infection to the neighboring areas. In that case, the tooth can be salvaged and should be extracted to protect the other areas.
• For some people, there may be swelling in the area where wisdom teeth has just getting erupted. It can be due to cyst formation under the tooth. Your dentist will give antihistamine medicines to destroy the cyst that causes inflammation. When it does not respond to drugs, the tooth has to be removed along with underlying cyst.
• For swelling after removal of teeth, you can apply ice pack on the swelling area along with medicines given for reducing swelling.