Swelling near wisdom tooth?

Question

I'm 17 and one of my wisdom teeth has came through the surface already, and the other one i can tell is really close to the surface but hasn't started coming through yet. and today on the side where the one hasn't broken through the surface i have swelling on my cheek thats painful if i try to puff out my cheeks. i've tried to look around on google and i do have a bad tooth up top, opposite the wisdom tooth that isn't coming in yet, but the swelling isn't big at all like people have described when they have absessed teeth. and i dont have like a small bubble or whatever like is associated with absess. and its only painful if i puff out my cheeks so i'm pretty sure that isn't the problem.

another thing i found on google was someone had described symptoms like mine and someone had asked if she had had ear pain o r if her ears had been popping, which i have had ear pain that i have assumed is an earache, because i've gotten them every winter since i was a baby, but we don't have insurance so I can't go to the doctor unless it's something really important. but anyway, i have had ear pain & my ears do crackle everytime i open my mouth or swallow, if that helps any.

and i had insurance up until this spring and i have went to the dentist regularly, i had xrays in february or so? so it seems like the dentist would have noticed if the wisdom tooth was crooked? but idk he's a pretty flakey dentist, I wouldn't put anything past him. haha.

Answer 1

Wisdom teeth, wether they're fine and growing in straight (meaning they're not problemed wisdom teeth) or impacted (not growing into the mouth properly and are 'stuck' or growing to the side- will cause pain if they're comming through the gum. Think of a young baby who's teething. They cry because it hurts. We can't ask a kid at that age to tell us how much it hurts or where, but the pain would be similar, wisdom teeth are large teeth- molars that need a great space to grow in to, and pushing through thick gum isn't a pleasant experience- i've had all four of my wisdom teeth come through in the last year, and they caused a bit of strife, but now they're fine!

BUT!

ANY swelling OR pain related to a tooth MUST be seen to IMMEDIATLEY!

Swelling is a very serious stage of an infection, wether it's an abscess of the tooth (a periapical abscess which is located at the root of the tooth) or a Periodontal abscess (a gum abscess which is rarer than a periapical abscess, but when wisdom teeth are comming through and the gum is shifting around to make room for a new tooth poking through, the risk of periodontal abscess is greater.

Some things you need to check yourself:

- The swelling in your cheek, is it getting larger by the day?

- Is the gums around your teeth (any tooth) swollen and puffy to the actual visable tooth line?

- is there pain comming from any specific tooth (even the bad one up top?)

Ear aches could certainly be related to an abscess, and usually are due to 'reffered' pain, when the line of nerves gets 'confused' and the 'pain message' sent to the nerves ends up in a different area completely to the actual thing that's causing the pain!

Such as a toothache. Many people may have a rather painful earahce or headache, and a bit of a sore tooth and don't bother with it, then it becomes more serious and develops into an abscess, if not one already.

Swelling is usually quite a late symptom (for an abscess) which means it needs to be seen to IMMEDIATLEY!

Any tooth that you can see yourself which looks bad should be a warning sign enough to go see about it!

I was stupid enough not to go to a dentist for 9 years, as I was beyond freaked, and couldn't afford it (I'm a student and it's not easy, I know!).

I had a bad tooth, three actually- that I could see, and I let it go. One day, without pain, my cheek was incredibly swollen, but I let it go thinking it would go down, and it'd be okay. second day, still no pain and the swelling was increasing, by this stage my gums were also swollen. I still didn't see a dentist. Someone kind enough at my bustop actually asked after me when i'd rocked up for the third day, with this huge swelling of my cheek. I then realised it might have been a little more seirous than I'd been thinking, so I rang a dentist a local one. He couldn't fit me in that day, but asked me to come in at 6.30am the next morning. That day though, he gave me a script for Antibiotics (500mg amoxycillin - cilamox) and ordered me to go to the hospital for two xrays.

The next day when I went to see him, it turned out one of the three periapical abscesses had started to eat away the bone in my jaw, and was quite advanced, and within another day or so - more serious problems could've happend (septicimia to meningitis). He did and immediate extraction of the tooth and drained the abscess and cleaned it.

There was no pain involved at all in the procedure, and my fear of dentists is completely cured! Honest!

I've been back 9 times now, for other treatments. I've had three abscesses, two of which I wouldn't have noticed as they didnt' cause any problems, and all 3 needed extraction. I've had root canals and fillings.

I didn't realise quite how serious a tooth infection could be.

don't let it get that far.

Always, always always, if there's ANY swelling or ANY pain what so ever, it's vital you see a dentist as soon as you can.

Don't be a fool like I was. .I understand money and insurance might  be a bit of a problem, but if you can- really do go. If I hadn't gone, within those next few days after hte swelling had started, I might've been in hospital for a good long while. Don't ignore it!

Answer 2

pericoranitis. Its usually that the gums surrounding your wisdom teeth get inflamed. The upper wisdom teeth will cut the gum on the lower wisdom teeth & make it come out. Take some pain killers like Ibuprofen. If its sevear, go to a dentist.

Answer 3

Probably its the wisdom T as yr symptoms suggest. U never know when the wisdom can show up so its better to consult ur dentist as its better to take it out than bear the pain

Answer 4

it sounds like you might have tmj it is when your jaw hinges are not right have you herd any popping noise when you open your mouth or does it hurt after you eat gum normally it get worse around winter when the cold comes.

i know it gets worst when your wisdom teeth come out cause all the pressure from the teeth.

try looking that up tmj.

Answer 5

Long shots: If you develop a fever and can't swallow and your cheek and jaw swell, chances are it's mononucleosis (glandular fever). Mumps is another possibility- inflammation of the salivary glands. But I doubt these for now.

Chances are, it's yet another tooth trying to break through at the very back of the jaw- I have one trying to do the same thing now. It's like way back there, and I just hope it finds some room for itself, because there doesn't seem to be much there. But a tooth back there can make the area painful and the gum slightly soft to touch.

I'm sorry about the insurance issue, btw. That makes things very tough, I know.