If you have ever had a strong, piercing pain in the back of your jaw, you may have assumed that you have simply developed a toothache. However, for many young adults, this pain actually marks the arrival of the third set of molars, commonly known as wisdom teeth. These teeth, commonly referred to as wisdom teeth, can often cause significant discomfort. Wisdom teeth typically erupt between the ages of 17 and 25. However, usually there is not enough room in our jaws for these teeth. When these molars grow incorrectly sideways, only halfway, or are trapped beneath the gums, they are ‘impacted’. This can cause several interfering and damaging dental issues, and ignoring the pain, whether mild or severe, can lead to infection, misalignment, or even persistent discomfort.
The first step to seeking relief is to recognize the warning signs your body sends. If you experience constant pressure, swelling, or persistent bad breath, it's essential to consult an oral surgeon for extraction. Let us examine each sign in detail.
Persistent Pain and Ache at the Back of Your Mouth
You may have a problem with your wisdom tooth if you are experiencing pain. This is not the temporary sensitivity that follows a sip of an ice-cold drink. Instead, it is deep, localized pain towards the back of the jaw, usually around the hinge area. Discomfort can mean many things, and recognizing the specific type can help you understand and address the cause. If you notice yourself frequently touching your cheek or reaching for painkillers in your medicine cabinet, it means that a structural problem is already present.
Wisdom tooth pain often begins as a dull, chronic ache. This steady pressure typically occurs because the tooth is trying to erupt into a space that is too small, so it pushes against the adjacent molar or the jawbone itself. Many patients report a dull, persistent ache that can radiate toward the jaw, ear, or upper neck area. It becomes more severe when lying down or pressing on it. However, it can quickly start to throb intensely, which is a sign that the area has become inflamed or even infected.
A throbbing pain suggests pressure and fluid build-up within the tissues, often leading to pericoronitis, which is the term for infection of the gum tissue.
A third, distinct sign is a sudden, sharp pain that you feel when you clench your teeth, bite down, or open your mouth wide. Usually, this means that the tooth is growing at an angle (impacted). This results in direct scraping or pressing against the sensitive nerves and soft tissue of the inner cheek or gum. In the case of a tooth partially erupted out of the gums, a flap of tissue covering the tooth may trap food and bacteria under it, which, in turn, causes repeated swelling and localized tenderness. Since the discomfort is typically felt throughout the jaw, some individuals may confuse it with either an earache or a general tension headache, making it crucial for a dental professional to pinpoint the actual cause of the chronic pain.
Swollen, Tender, or Bleeding Gums Around Your Back Molars
Localized swelling and pain around a wisdom tooth or the adjacent gums are significant warning signs in dentistry. When a wisdom tooth erupts, it often only erupts partially. As a result, a flap of tissue that is known as an operculum can form over the tooth. Pericoronitis is a common condition that occurs when the mouth is dark, moist, and warm, just the perfect conditions for bacteria to breed. An infection and inflammation of the gum tissue surrounding the third molar is called pericoronitis.
The signs of pericoronitis are readily visible. The area around the gum of the tooth will become swollen, red, and extremely tender to the touch. Even gentle brushing or flossing can provoke bleeding. As the infection progresses further, it can give you a nasty taste in your mouth and, most alarmingly, pus can drain from the swollen gum pocket. The foul taste is due to a bacterial colony growing beneath the gum flap, indicating an active, untreated infection.
The danger of pericoronitis is two-fold:
- Initially, the gum and bone disease, caused by a chronic inflammatory process, injures local tissue, making hygiene even poorer
- The infection is not contained
If not kept in check, the bacteria can spread and cause a generalized oral infection or migrate to the throat or face, resulting in symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and difficulty swallowing. Location-based gum inflammation that persists around wisdom teeth must be treated as an emergency. If accompanied by a nasty taste in the mouth, you must call for your expert dentist immediately. Your wisdom tooth will likely need to be extracted to eliminate the infection permanently.
Trouble Chewing, Biting, or Fully Opening Your Mouth
Problems with wisdom teeth do not just affect the immediate area. They can often have a debilitating impact on the functioning of your jaw. In fact, it can even lead to a condition called trismus, which causes pain. Trismus is the medical term for jaw movement that is severely limited. It makes it hard or even impossible to open your mouth completely or stretch your jaw.
The jaw muscles that close your jaw are strong due to the anatomy. The location of the powerful masseter and temporalis muscles contributes to this rigidity, particularly near the location of the wisdom teeth. When a severe infection, such as pericoronitis or acute-chronic inflammation, occurs, the swelling extends to the neighboring muscles. The body tightens and spasms involuntarily, thus limiting the ability to stretch and relax through opening and closing.
Because of all this tension, it becomes painful or almost impossible to yawn, talk, or even take a big mouthful of sandwich. When the jaw is stiff, it is tough to chew. When you bite down on food, it irritates the already sensitive and often infected gum tissue next to the back molar. On the contrary, if the wisdom tooth is growing sideways or horizontally impacted, then the chewing or mechanical process becomes dysfunctional.
If your teeth are misaligned, they will wear down unevenly over time. It can also make you grind your teeth. It may put stress on other teeth and wear them down too. You may even be placing stress on your temporomandibular joints (TMJ). When your ability to eat comfortably is severely restricted due to painful tightening of muscles, pain in the joint, and local tenderness, you know that the tooth in question is affecting your quality of life. It is time to have it checked out.
Persistent Bad Breath or a Foul Taste in Your Mouth
Having constant bad breath (halitosis) or a foul, metallic taste in your mouth is one of the most damaging problems that can arise, often a secondary symptom of a problem with a wisdom tooth. Even when you care for your teeth well every day, an impacted or partially erupted wisdom tooth acts as a mechanical barrier. Since these teeth are located right at the back of the jaw, when they come out angled or covered by a flap of gum tissue, they form deep and narrow grooves that are beyond the reach of a toothbrush or dental floss.
Food particles and plaque accumulate in hard-to-reach areas, trapping bacteria and debris. As bacteria build up and break down the material they are trapped with, they exude volatile sulfur compounds, which cause the foul odor and a nasty, persistent taste.
When a person experiences persistent bad breath, as opposed to temporary bad breath, it is typically caused by an underlying health issue. In these cases, the position of the tooth prevents proper hygiene from being maintained on that tooth. A consistent hygiene failure is a source of embarrassment, which increases the risk of infection. It will not only increase the chances of cavities in the wisdom tooth itself but also in the healthy adjacent second molar. Therefore, we remove it to prevent further damage.
Recurring Headaches or Tenderness in Your Jaw
Although it may sound odd, your frequent headaches or regular earaches may be caused by your wisdom teeth. When a molar is impacted, the pressure from this tooth can travel to the back of the mouth, but pain can actually radiate along the nerve pathways throughout the head and face. If a tooth presses very hard against the jawbone or if the tissues surrounding it are severely inflamed, that tension can cause classic tension headaches. Usually, headaches occur in the temporal zone (the sides of the head). They can be chronic, irritating the patients who inevitably consider them to be caused by stress or eye strain.
Furthermore, the ongoing strain caused by a badly erupting wisdom tooth alters the delicate functioning of the jaw joint, also known as the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). It is the joint connecting your jawbone to your skull. It is easy for inflammation from the site of a tooth to spread to this joint. This can result in tenderness of the jaw and discomfort when opening and closing the jaw.
Ear pain may also occur because nearby nerves share the same pathways. This is because the nerves are close to each other. If you experience a pulsating pain that begins deep in the jaw and radiates to the ear or temple, it indicates that dental pressure is causing secondary pain that requires attention.
Swelling, Cysts, or Tumors Detected by Your Dentist
Unlike pericoronitis, which causes visible pain and swelling, other complications of impacted wisdom teeth can be silent and symptomless. To discover these issues, your dentist will take a panoramic X-ray. One of the most frequently occurring quiet problems is the dentigerous cyst.
A cyst is a sac or cavity that sometimes forms around the crown of an impacted tooth. Usually benign, a growing cyst may displace adjacent teeth or, more importantly, slowly erode the surrounding jawbone. However, if left untreated, the loss of bone can weaken the jaws and affect the roots of surrounding, healthy teeth. In very rare cases, they may turn into a more aggressive but still benign dental tumor, requiring extensive surgery.
These silent pathologies are the reasons that routine dental check-ups and routine imaging are vital, even if you feel perfectly healthy. The dentist will seek evidence of bone destruction or pathology that is not visible to the naked eye. The best treatment is prevention through X-rays so that you can catch the cyst or tumor early. If your wisdom teeth are removed early, it will not cause any serious or permanent damage to the jaw or the teeth surrounding it.
Shifting of Existing Teeth or Increased Crowding
People often seek wisdom tooth removal due to concerns that these late-arriving molars may displace other teeth and ruin a perfect smile. The forceful pressure a wisdom tooth puts on your jaw as it attempts to break through creates a constant pressure on your front teeth. This can also be seen with other teeth. Although this shift occurs gradually over the course of days and weeks, the cumulative effect can lead to crowding and misalignment throughout the dental arch.
This happens mainly in the relatively visible region of the front teeth. You may notice that teeth are becoming crowded or overlapping due to tooth movement or that a slight gap has closed completely. For individuals who have invested valuable time and money in orthodontics, this pressure can be particularly frustrating. In fact, some experts warn of the possibility of orthodontic relapse, in which the wisdom teeth undo the effects of orthodontic treatment. This is especially true if you have had braces or used aligners. Even if the wisdom tooth is encased in bone, it still puts pressure on the jaw as it is erupting. This pressure is enough to cause the teeth to shift to some degree.
If you have noticed new gaps closing, teeth that were once straight becoming crooked, or more difficulty flossing due to tight contacts between teeth, these are all clear mechanical signs that your wisdom teeth are really tinkering with your entire bite.
Damage to Nearby Molars or Surrounding Bone
Damage caused by a problematic wisdom tooth occurs elsewhere, not just at the site of the tooth and gum. The direct injury to the neighboring second molar is one of the more serious long-term risks. The second molar plays a vital role in chewing. When a wisdom tooth is impacted, its hard crown pushes constantly against the healthy root of the adjacent tooth.
As time passes, this pressure can lead to root resorption, causing the body to dissolve the root structure of the second molar, which may ultimately result in early loss. The space created between the two molars, where the teeth are tightly placed, is unhygienic and prone to bacterial growth. Cleaning this area is so tricky that decay (cavities) will almost certainly develop on the back surface of the second molar, which is usually undetectable until it is well advanced.
Furthermore, localized bone loss may occur due to severe infection and inflammation. This combination of decay, resorption, and bone loss will necessitate extraction to preserve the otherwise healthy tooth next to it.
Find a Dentist Near Me
The above signs are critical indicators that wisdom teeth are unlikely to improve on their own. If you ignore these symptoms, it could result in severe long-term complications, including misalignment and bone loss. The key to prevention is early professional assessment.
If you recognize any of these warning signs, do not delay. Contact Los Angeles Advanced Dentistry at 310-361-2080 to schedule a consultation with our experienced team. We will perform complete examinations with digital X-rays to examine your wisdom teeth and recommend the safest and most comfortable option.
