Wisdom Teeth Pain – 6 Home Remedies to Mitigate The Pain
Wisdom teeth are notoriously trouble-making molars. They’re technically a vestigial structure, meaning they were important to our ancestors but no longer serve necessary functions within our bodies. For this reason, it’s very common to remove, and not replace, troublesome wisdom teeth.
If wisdom teeth are impacted upon eruption or run out of room to fully grow in, they can cause pain and inflammation in the surrounding gums. You should always consult a dentist to determine the cause of your wisdom teeth pain, but home remedies can help you mitigate the discomfort in the meantime.
Home Remedies to Mitigate Wisdom Teeth Pain
If your wisdom tooth is giving you grief but you have to put up with it for another couple of weeks before having it removed, you can mitigate the pain with some home remedies.
Ice Pack
If you’ve ever sustained a mild injury, you’ve probably been told to moderate the discomfort with an ice pack. The cold pack can help reduce swelling, which, in concert with the mild numbing effect of the ice, can alleviate your symptoms.
Apply the ice pack to the exterior of your cheek near your wisdom tooth. To avoid getting an ice burn or irritating your facial skin, wrap the ice pack in a towel or cloth and don’t keep the ice pack in contact with your skin for more than 15 minutes at a time.
Saltwater Rinse
Salt was an ancient cure-all for preserving food, dressing wounds, and cleaning. Rinsing with a salt water solution may be able to reduce bacterial build-ups that can cause irritation. If your wisdom tooth pain is caused by bacteria around your newly-erupted tooth, rinsing thrice-daily with salt water might bring relief.
To mix up the tonic, stir a couple of tablespoons of salt into freshly-boiled water. When the solution has cooled to a pleasant temperature, swish it around your mouth gently for a minute or two. This method is best used in conjunction with other pain relief techniques, as you won’t experience immediate relief from a salt water rinse.
Tea Bags
Tea bags alone can be soothing when placed directly on aching wisdom teeth. The tannins in tea are what give tea its colour and can also have the anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties necessary to make twinging wisdom teeth feel better.
Make a cup of tea by pouring boiling water over a teabag. Allow the tea bag to seep as the tea cools completely, a process that can be sped up by placing the teacup in the refrigerator. Remove the teabag and place it directly on your sore wisdom tooth when the tea has cooled. Peppermint tea is an especially good variety for this home remedy, although other herbal teas also work well. Don’t add any cream or sugar to the steeping tea before performing this home remedy.
Chewing Onion
Like tea, onions have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties that can reduce wisdom tooth pain. Simply cut off a sliver of onion and chew it with the affected wisdom tooth and the surrounding molars.
You don’t need to swallow the onion for this method to work; simply releasing the onion juice onto the gums surrounding the aching tooth can offer relief, as well as bad breath.
Clove and Clove Oil
Cloves have antibacterial and numbing properties that you can leverage to reduce wisdom teeth discomfort from the whole clove or clove essential oil.
Hold the clove, or cotton ball with clove oil, over your sore wisdom tooth with your teeth. Don’t chew the clove or cotton ball, and remove the item when your wisdom teeth feel better.
Over-the-Counter Pain Relief
If you’re in a hurry or looking for more immediate relief, over-the-counter painkillers may be the way to go. Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), can alleviate wisdom tooth discomfort.
Causes for Wisdom Teeth Pain
Wisdom teeth, the last teeth to come into your mouth, make their appearance when there is often little room to spare in your mouth. It’s common for wisdom teeth to bump into your existing molars as they erupt, causing pain and misalignment.
Teeth that grow in slanted are at a higher risk for tooth decay, as it is more difficult for people to remove crumbs and debris by brushing from the crevices formed between crooked teeth.
Even if your wisdom teeth grow in properly, you may feel mild soreness around your gums as they erupt. This soreness should dissipate within three or four days.
What To Do About Wisdom Teeth Pain
Because of the high incidence of wisdom teeth that need dental attention, you should seek professional advice if you experience wisdom teeth pain in order to avoid the collateral damage that could result from undeterred teeth colliding with each other.
Your dentist may take x-rays and examine your mouth to determine the cause of your wisdom teeth pain and what to do next.
Your dentist may call you back for a wisdom teeth removal surgery. Often, the best way to manage the high risk of tooth decay and misalignment associated with wisdom teeth is to remove these unnecessary teeth from your mouth.
Seek Dental Help
If you’re experiencing wisdom teeth pain in the Bella Vista area, seek help from the experienced dentist in Bella Vista at Dentistry on Solent. Dr Rai is an experienced dentist who uses the latest technology to perform wisdom teeth extractions comfortably and efficiently.
Our patient-centric approach is fundamental to all our work as a dental practice, including wisdom teeth removal services. We use anaesthesia or conscious sedation to perform comfortable extractions and keep nervous patients at ease. A few days after the procedure, you won’t have to worry about wisdom teeth pain ever again.
Contact us today on (02) 9158 6137 to book an appointment or learn more about our wisdom teeth services.
