Is it a sign of problem wisdom teeth to have a really painful jaw along the big 3 teeth at the back? I’ve had it increasingly for a few weeks now, but it’s at the stage it’s keeping me awake at night, feels like someone ramming a hot needle into my jaw now.

I’ve had a look on the trusty internet, but it seems to suggest that wisdom teeth do their thing up to the age of 25 or so. I’m considerably older than that, so am somewhat doubtful it’s them – anyone had issues much older than 25?

Reluctant to go to the dentist as 1) I’m a coward with dentists, and 2) I know she’ll only want to start extracting things. Reassure me that it will just go away, please…..

Save some weight, though?

mine (3 part erupted) flare up every now end then, 1 a year/18 months maybe with an infection that’s painful and lasts a week or so.

Not enough trouble to have them whipped out. I’m 33.

How on earth is this going anywhere without the involvement of a dentist?

They don’t always just pull stuff out.

You’re going to need to overcome your fear of dentists and go along for a consultation. My wisdom teeth were literally a pain for probably ten years while they came up one by one, each time pushing the gum up in a flap, which caught food debris and made my breath smell as well as being constantly painful especially when eating. The bottom wisdom teeth crowded my bottom teeth, which had been nice and straight until then, causing them to go all jumbled up and ugly. I wish I had had them removed at the time but my late teenage years coincided with a time when my parents were constantly battling and I don’t think they took much interest in my teeth. My son’s orthodontist says she could sort it all out but TBH I can’t be bothered with all the hassle, expense and time off work now.

Dental anaesthetics are excellent nowadays, get down and get them sorted before you regret it.

I’ve just had to have my first bit of work done on my teeth – not bad for late 30s, I’m told.

One wisdom tooth (lower, second from back) recently broke – went to the dentist who said it was because I have very tight wisdom teeth so plaque tends to get caught between them and has final lead to decay. Same was actually happening on the tooth on the opposite side too.

Had three appointments – the first to put a temporary filling on the broken tooth, the second to repair it properly and the third to put fillings in the tooth on the opposite side.

To allay your nerves, the fillings weren’t really painful – certainly less than a hard climb on the bike IMO. Anaesthetic numbed things nicely and that was it really. Slight sensitivity for a few days after but that was as bad as it got.

But – if you don’t go, and it’s decay if you leave it long enough, it will mean that they have to extract…

Thnaks all. I’m no stranger to the dentist (hence my terror) and have had loads of fillings and even an implant (which wasn’t fun). But I really have to pick up my nerves to go.

I have been concerned it’s wisdom teeth (and so possibly big forceps) which is why I have been leaving it in the hopes it’ll just go.

The staying awake thing though is doing my head in now, so I may reluctantly have to – but helpful to hear they can mess about over the age of 25.

Mine were impacted so trying to come up under the teeth in front of them. Dentist sent me to dental hospital, who then sent me to the Hallamshire (in Sheffield) and i had them out. Mine got taken out in bits so had to go under so they could block my airways to stop bit going down the wrong way.

2 nights in hospital, stitches, dry blood and pain. They wouldn’t let me go until i ate something but it was bloody painful.

One the stitches came out, no problems at all. I do know now that if they are straight but you don’t have room, they use heavy sedation and just pull them. Quite painful after but better out than in.

I have had one wisdom tooth come through and similar to clubber it was very close to my other molers so was difficult to clean and was beginning to decay, 30 minute apointment with the dentist had it whipped out, the gum healed pretty quickly and so far have had no trouble since. My dentist said he could go down the route of filling it but because of the way it came through it would need constant attention and as it is was essentially surplus to requirements i am unlikely to miss it.

Oh i’m 29 now and have another tooth on its way through at the moment.

Go see a dentist, get some recommendations from people, there are some very good ones out there that will sort you out and some of them are even on the NHS.

MTDU

Dentists have come a long way in recent years.

I’ve never had a sniff of a wisdom tooth, up until getting toothache last year. In checking it with an x-ray they noticed that I have a wisdom tooth growing diagonally into the others, which is probably what caused the pain. I’m 40, so anecdotally, your “up to 25” theory is bobbins.

I was in the ame position as you, and the cahp with multiple infections becuase I refused to see the dentist. I got a bad infectin and was forced to go, and I persuaded the dentist to let me have all four out whilst unconcious.

2 hours in private healthcare and 4 weeks of pain thereafter and I’m wisdom tooth free.

Just get them all taken out in one lump – its like having a cold – painful at the time – but you forget about what that feels like in a matter of a few weeks, and it wont happen again.

growing diagonally into the others

That’s ‘impacted’ isn’t it? Or ‘compacted’? Something like that. Anyway that’s what I had – all 4 of them, two nights in hospital, couldn’t eat for a week after.

Made the mistake of watching Jacob’s Ladder whilst on horse tranquillisers after the op – NOT a good move 😯

All my Wisdom teeth have come through at an angle, driving forwards into the tooth in front and damaging them. I’ve ended up loosing the wisdom tooth and it’s neighbour in 3 cases. I’ve just had another wisdom tooth out, and having changed dentist at the advice of the Maxilofacial surgeon (who also reckoned that another tooth my original dentist wanted to extract was, in fact saveable) have been lucky to hang on to it’s neighbour.
So firstly, make sure you’re happy with your dentist!
Secondly, I’m 35, so another

your “up to 25” theory is bobbins

Thirdly, the anasthetic really is good, a short sharp jab when they pop the needle in, and that’s it. (There is a bit of a weird sensation when the waggle the tooth around – it’s as if the vibrations get transmitted up your jaw or something, but absolutley no pain).

They don’t always just pull stuff out.

They seem to when you mention wisdom teeth. I’ve had 4 out, 2 on general when they let dentists do them, 2 on local. Neither were all that bad, better than living with them to be sure.

I had 2 wisdoms out too, mid 20s, the first (lower IIRC) took 1.5 hours, the 2nd about 5m.

Some scary stories up there, and also some happier ones.

I am sitting here in excruciating pain and have capitulated – booked in tomorrow morning first thing. Might have to have a bottle of whisky first though to get me in the door. Fingers crossed it’s not going to be horrible.

Thanks for all your replies and for disproving the internet “up to 25” point.

Dentists….I always get the pretty and young ones who don’t know wtf they’re doing. It’s a constant battle of “should I tell her to go get her superiors to sort my teeth out or should I just enjoy this while it lasts” sort of things.

MTFU!!! I’v had all mine out and didn’t even bother wi painkillers! Truth!

It depends on the case though – some are much easier to remove than others.

On my follow-up appointment the girl who went in before me to see the consultant came back out saying she had been told off for not cleaning properly and she should be getting back on with stuff normally.

They looked at my x-rays and said ‘ahh yes, we remember yours, they were a bit tricky to pull’ then started to laugh.

Swedishmatt – where is your dentist…??!

Im a bit of a freak on the wisdom tooth front, I was blessed with 10! Ive had 5 out, and kept 5 (the 4 proper ones + plus one extra as a souvineer of my trips to the dentist! In fairness I wasnt really having many problems with the full count, but my employer insisted I have them out (worked on ships for months at a time, not the place to get a problem!)

If they’ve giving you a problem, get em out, no big deal. Better out than in as they can give rise to a number of problems.

All 4 out in hospital, under GA, aged 25.

Face like a hamster who’d been punched a lot for a week.

My wisdom teeth move every so often. I just rinse my mouth with salted water, and get on with life. 🙂

i had all 4 out when i was 21! i was in hospital for 3 days as they had to break my jaw!

but i was told it was very rare for them to do that

I had severe toothache a few years ago with the wisdom teeth and they were impacting on the other teeth and gums. I had not been the dentist for about 5 years but MTF’d U and was a brave bear and went the dentist. Told the dentist I was a bit scared but she was fine. Got them extracted at my local hospital (Stepping Hill ; international murder hospital!) under a general anaesthetic. All done in an hour and some morphine to make it feel ok! Your mates, like mine will take the P**s and give you all sorts of horror stories but I had no bruising and little bit of swelling. Just dont try and eat a meat pie 3 days after your extraction – it’s a tad painful!

I only needed 2 extracting but whilst I was there they whipped them all out to avoid future problems.

Be brave and go and get it sorted! It really wasn’t that bad and since then I now go the dentist now every 6 months!

If you really dont want to get it sorted then I found Nurofen Express done the trick for a short while, but really they need to be extracted!

Thanks all. Finally manned up and went – and to my utter joy it wasn’t a wisdom tooth, but the rearmost molar had cracked and exposed the nerve. Had a couple of sessions of root canal work (am consdierbaly poorer) but no extractions. The lack of pain is absolute bliss!!

Thanks for your experiences though.

Cheers

Seriously?

Root canal is so much more painful that having a wisdom tooth out 😀

It certainly nipped a bit (especially when he first went into it and it was really inflamed) but I was just so happy that the pliers weren’t out and being waved about in front of me (or do they now tie a bit of string between them and the door handle and just slam the door…?!!!).

It was absolutely nothing compared to the head-banging pain I’d been in for several weeks before.

I had all four of my wisdom teeth out, before they were even showing through the gums. It is the worst operation/recovery I have ever had and I’ve had a lot of operations growing up! A few days after, you could see bruised hand prints on my chest and shoulders where they were using sooo much force to remove them.

…But once they are removed, you won’t have any wisdom teeth problems ever again! 😉