Why do we have wisdom teeth?

Your Teeth are spread out in an orderly fashion, with molars appearing at the end. Usually, the first group of molars seems at the age of 6, while the second group appears around the age of 12. The last set, Wisdom Teeth, takes much longer than all other teeth, and about 1 in 5 adults never has it. Your ancestors played a role. Tasmanians have almost no wisdom teeth, while indigenous Mexicans practically always have them. This appears to be due to a genetic mutation that originated in China more than 300,000 years ago.

Scientists say changes in the way we eat have also changed our mouth shape and function. In the days of our ancient ancestors, people lived on various foods that required intense chewing. Foods like roots, nuts, leaves, and meat are believed to have made up a large part of our diet during those days. Today, most of our food is softer, and we have knives and forks to “chew” a lot. We have overcome our need for wisdom teeth, but this does not prevent them from trying to appear.

People often choose to remove wisdom teeth, as they can cause pain and gum inflammation. How can pain in wisdom teeth be relieved before removal?

Why Call Them ‘Wisdom Teeth?

The last teeth that break through the gums are wisdom teeth. They grow on the back of a person’s mouth. There are usually four wisdom teeth, one in each of the corners farthest from the upper and lower gums.

The pain of wisdom teeth may disappear on its own, but in some cases, it will need either active home management or treatment in a hospital or dental surgery.

This article discusses options and causes for pain relief.

Home remedies

Impacted teeth of wisdom can cause pain, discomfort, and tenderness. Removing wisdom teeth can ultimately help solve these problems.

Meanwhile, numerous over-the-counter drug treatments and natural home remedies are available.

1. Numbing gel

Anesthetic tooth gel can help reduce gum feeling and relieve pain. These gels are available over the counter or online and contain the active ingredient benzocaine.

Most dental gels can be directly applied to the gums affected during the day. It is essential, however, that the person follows the instructions included in the product. You may be allergic to benzocaine, too.

2. Ibuprofen

Ibuprofen is the over-the-counter pain medicine that helps reduce inflammation.

Taking the recommended dose on the package can help reduce discomfort. It can also minimize gingivitis associated with the development of wisdom teeth.

Ibuprofen or other NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) can be an effective pain reliever so that a person can go to the dentist for treatment.

3. Ice pack

Applying an ice pack to the jaw will help reduce inflammation, which, in effect, will relieve pain. The use of ice can also have an anesthetic effect.

A person can try holding an ice pack with a tea towel against their jaw for up to 15 minutes.

An ice pack can be put in and run with a 15-minute break until the pain subsides.

4. Rinse with saltwater

Saltwater has the properties of natural disinfectants. A 2010 study has shown that mouth rinsing with salt water can help to reduce bacteria.

Sometimes, the source of pain may be a build-up of bacteria in the broken gums around wisdom teeth. As such, saltwater rinsing can help treat the infection and reduce discomfort.

A person may dissolve a few tablespoons of salt into a glass of freshly boiled water to make the saltwater rinse. When the water has slightly cooled, it will bubble around the mouth for a few minutes, then spit out.

A person may continue to rinse his mouth with salt water two or three times a day, or until the pain starts to diminish.

5. Cloves

Research into clove effectiveness in wisdom teeth pain relief is positive. A 2006 study showed cloves as a topical pain reliever are expected because of their numbing effect.

A person can use clove oil or whole clove to try out this home remedy. If using a whole clove they should:

• Put the clove over the wisdom tooth which causes pain
• hold it in place by closing their jaw, but without chewing
• Leave there until the pain shrinks and spit it out

A person can try this remedy using clove oil:

• Place a ball of cotton wool with a few drops of clove oil
• Put the wool of cotton on the wisdom tooth which causes pain
• Hold the cotton wool until the pain reduces, then remove it

6. Onion

A 2007 study found antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of the onions. These onion benefits mean they can help reduce swelling and prevent bacterial infections.

A person should use the onions as a home remedy:

Take away a slice of onion.
Chew onion on the side of the painful mouth
Keep chewing for a few minutes until the pain reduces and then spit the onion out.

This process allows the onion juice to go into the gum so that inflammation and bacteria can be reduced.

7. Teabags

A research conducted in 2016 found that the tannins in the tea bags had antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. That means tea bags can help to reduce swelling and prevent bacterial infections.

A Person should make a cup of tea to use tea bags as a home remedy, and place the cup in the fridge with the teabag left in it. Once the tea is cold, you can take out the tea bag and place it inside the mouth where the pain is located.

There should be no added milk, cream, or sugar to the tea.

Removal

In some cases, home remedies may not relieve pain in wisdom teeth.

A wisdom tooth in a dental surgery can be removed by a dentist or in a hospital by a dentist. A local anesthetic will be injected into the affected area to anesthetize the pain from the operation. The practitioner will put pressure on the tooth to tear it out of the cavity.

Small cuts are made around the tooth, and the wisdom tooth can be cut into smaller pieces before removing it. The procedure is short and usually takes only a few minutes, but can last up to 20 minutes, and sometimes more.

Usually, the gums are painful only when the medicine disappears even after about three days, but the pain sometimes lasts two weeks.

Prevention

When someone wisdom teeth are coming through, there are practical things they can do to reduce the chance of gum infected. These procedures include:

• Follow the rules of oral hygiene: brush your teeth twice a day, floss, and use mouthwash to reduce the number of bacteria in your mouth that cause infections.
• Drink plenty of water: Helps wash food and bacteria out of your teeth and gums.
• Avoid sugary foods: sugary foods can get stuck in damaged gums, stimulating the growth of bacteria.

Causes

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Wisdom teeth usually push their way through the gums when a person is 17 to 21 years old. The sensation of a tooth passing through the gums can be painful.

Also, there is often no room for wisdom teeth in a person’s mouth because adult teeth are already developed. This lack of space can cause wisdom teeth to appear at an angle or stumble and not go out completely.

The wisdom teeth will be impacted when this happens. Having damaged the teeth of wisdom leaves the gums fragile because the surface splits and the teeth are not fully passed. Food and bacteria can get trapped in the gums and lead to a number of problems, including:

• gum disease
• cysts
• abscesses
• infections

Outlook

Although it has been established that the treatments in this article alleviate the discomfort caused by wisdom teeth, they are just short-term solutions.

Upon the effect of wisdom teeth, a dentist may usually advise that they should be removed to provide long-term relief.

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