What should I do if my impacted wisdom tooth is swollen and bleeding but I can only have wisdom tooth surgery 2 months later?

Doctor's Answer

Hi there,

Thank you for your enquiry.

I'm sorry to hear that your wisdom tooth is giving you much discomfort and agony. Being the last tooth in the mouth to erupt, the wisdom teeth often has insufficient space to erupt straight and hence erupts only partially with a flap of gum surrounding the partially erupted tooth. This partially erupted tooth and gum makes it very difficult for one to keep the area clean, this results in food and bacteria harbouring in gums surrounding the wisdom tooth. This is probably what you are experiencing, a condition called pericoronitis which is an inflammation around the gums of the wisdom tooth.

Cleaning around the wisdom tooth will help to remove the bacteria causing this inflammation. Using salt water rinses targeting that area will also help. A helpful tool that you can purchase would be an interspace brush which has a fine tip that you can clean under the flap of gum. If the condition worsens, you may also visit a dentist who can clean the area more thoroughly with an ultrasonic scaler and prescribed you some antibacterial mouthrinses. Antibiotics is only indicated if your condition worsens and you develop a facial swelling and fever.

Hope this helps, the best way to treat the condition would be to remove the wisdom tooth when your schedule allows. Hope you feel better soon.

Warm regards,

Dr Geraldine Lee

Orthodontist, The Orthodontic Clinic

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