It definitely seems to me there is some underlying cause for your recurrent infections. Typically, it is due to the way your wisdom tooth is positioned.
Antibiotics do indeed help to clear the acute infection symptoms most of the times. In fact, some of my patients who originally scheduled for the wisdom tooth removal will call back to cancel the procedure as the pain has gone away after the course of antibiotics!! Haha.
Unfortunately, a large number of them will return in the near future complaining of similar symptoms ( often more severe) and they will still need to have them removed ultimately in the end.
Try not to allow yourself to end up in this viscious cycle.
Have a dentist assess your wisdom tooth in detail with radiographs, explain the situation in detail to you, consider the risks and benefits of its removal and plan the treatment from there on.
Although i can totally understand patient's reluctance of undergoing any form of extraction or surgery, as Dr Toh rightfully mentioned, early intervention is often a better option if its clearly identified to be a chronic situation.
Moreover, given your age, I'm sure your recovery from the potential removal will be swift too. We all want to avoid complications that may arise as a result of the ill effects of the infection to the adjacent teeth if left untreated.
I hope you will be able to find a solution to your wisdom tooth problem soon.
Take care!
Dr Chris Mak
