Your wisdom teeth are teeth at the back of your mouth that can push their way inwards over time. While they usually affect teenagers and young adults, they can begin to move later in your life, which can cause all sorts of dental health problems.

Understanding that symptoms associated with wisdom teeth coming in can help you identify the problem early and have your wisdom teeth removed before they can adversely affect your overall dental health.

Jaw Stiffness

One of the clearest and most obvious signs that you need to have your wisdom teeth removed is if you experience any sort of stiffness or reduced range of motion in your jaw. This can be caused by an impacted tooth, which places actual pressure on your jawbone and can make any sort of movement painful or difficult.

While you can alleviate the symptoms somewhat through use of ibuprofen, which can reduce the swelling in your jaw, the only long term solution is to have your teeth removed and you should consult with a dentist immediately.

Bad Breath

Another good indication of having impacted wisdom teeth is if you seem to have chronic bad breath all of a sudden that you can't get rid of. This can be caused by wisdom teeth actually breaking through the surface of the gums at the back of your mouth, thus creating a sort of flap or crevice into which food can become stuck. This promotes the buildup of bacteria, which contributes significantly to bad breath and can be hard to reach and clean out at the back of your mouth.

You should have a dentist take a look immediately if you are suffering from this problem, as a buildup of bacteria can also greatly increase the chances of an infection or abscess developing in your mouth, which is a much more painful and harder to treat issue.

Sensitive Gums

In a similar vein to the above point, if you notice that your gums are chronically sore or sensitive, your wisdom teeth may be to blame. By trapping more food in the back of your mouth, bacteria can spread throughout the entire mouth and contribute to the early stages of gingivitis. This can contribute to tooth decay, and can also lead to actual gum disease or recession, both of which are serious dental health issues that can have complications for years into the future if left unchecked.

To learn more about when you should get your wisdom teeth removed, contact clinics like Family Medical Dental Center.

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