Imagine, one day, you are eating an apple. Suddenly, you find out you are having a problem opening your mouth to take a big bite. Or, you find out on one random morning that you have immense pain on your cheek.
So what is happening inside of your mouth? Is your wisdom tooth has become more prominent so that there is not enough place inside your mouth? Or is your wisdom tooth cutting into cheek?
Whatever the reason is, it mainly indicates one big problem. You have an impacted (problematic) wisdom tooth.
Read on to find out what you should do in this particular situation. We will also mention the reasons behind this issue. So, what are you waiting for?
Table of Content
What Are The Solutions If Your Wisdom Tooth Cutting into Cheek
To get rid of your wisdom tooth that cuts into your cheek or, in other words, an impacted tooth, wisdom teeth removal is a common way.
There is some wisdom tooth cutting into cheek remedy like-
1. Painkillers
To reduce the pain before seeing a dentist, taking painkillers is a good option. But it would help if you tried to get the recommended painkillers by an experienced dentist over a phone call for wisdom tooth pain relief.
Related: How Long Does Aleve Take to Work?
2. Mouthwash
You can also do a mouthwash to relieve your pain for some moments. The mouthwash can be either of warm water with salt or antibacterial (chlorhexidine).
3. Icepack
You can apply an icepack at the place of your impacted tooth also. It will help reducing inflammation from wisdom tooth pain in jaw.
4. Cutting the edges
So, how to stop tooth rubbing on cheek? Sometimes, dentists may suggest polishing or furnishing the sharp edges instead of removing the entire tooth. It will surely relieve you from the pain and protect you from possible nerve damage due to complete removal.
Although the temporary solutions of wisdom tooth cutting into cheek will keep the pain at bay, there is no guarantee that you will permanently get rid of the situation. That is why they are temporary solutions.
The permanent solution to get out of the situation of yours is to remove the wisdom tooth. But always consult with an experienced dentist before going for surgery (complete removal of the tooth).
Your Dentist will most likely have a closer look before doing an X-ray of your impacted tooth. Then he will tell you to do an X-ray. After getting the X-ray report, he will tell you the actions your tooth will need to alleviate the pain.
Related: Prednisone For Tooth Infection Is Effective For 3 Factors
Wisdom Teeth: Are They Necessary?
Before answering this particular question, let’s discuss another popular question first. Why do people call wisdom teeth the wisdom teeth?
The interesting fact is that the answer is what you are currently thinking. Yes, these teeth got their name wisdom teeth because they mainly grow from 17 to 25.
The general belief is that humans start to grow their wisdom at this specific age. So, we think the naming is pretty much justified.
Now coming to our main question, many people have issues with wisdom teeth, creating one considerable debate. Are wisdom teeth necessary? Well, you will think differently when a wisdom tooth cutting into cheek.
If we take the expert opinion to resolve what to do if wisdom tooth is cutting cheek, we find two main scenarios.
In the first case, a group of dentists suggests wisdom teeth don’t serve any purpose to our body. That is why some dentists favor removing the wisdom teeth at a certain age, before 20.
And in the second case, some dentists say that wisdom teeth are not harmful until they create any problems. And there is a good point behind their statement.
Sometimes unnecessary removal of wisdom teeth can create nerve damage.
Why Is Your Wisdom Tooth Cutting Into Cheek?
A wisdom tooth can cut into your cheek because of improper growth of the tooth. The main reason behind the inappropriate development of a wisdom tooth is that there is not enough space in your mouth.
A natural human mouth doesn’t have enough space to have all 32 teeth.
For this reason, people mainly face issues with their wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth can remain indifferent awkward positions. We call these positions ‘impactions’ and the teeth ‘impacted teeth’.
You may have any of the following impacted wisdom teeth symptoms and impactions-
1. Mesioangular impaction
The most common among the impactions are the mesioangular impaction. In this case, your wisdom tooth will angle towards your mouth. Mesioangular impactions are not much problematic.
You may have a mesioangular impaction and still be okay with it during your whole life.
2. Distoangular impaction
Distoangular impaction is just the opposite of mesioangular impaction. In this type, the wisdom tooth will angle backward your mouth. Distoangular impaction can be both partial and full.
As this impaction is the rarest of all, dentists will have a deep observation regarding whether to remove or keep the tooth. It will relieve the pain from wisdom tooth cutting into cheek.
3. Vertical impaction
Like the name, you will have an impacted wisdom tooth in a vertical position (typical). But unlike other regular teeth, this time, the tooth will remain under the gum.
4. Horizontal impaction
A horizontal impaction is a type of impaction where your wisdom tooth is in a horizontal position and completely under the gum. As the root of the tooth may move sideways, it can cause immense pain. It is the most painful and complex impaction of wisdom teeth.
What Is Going To Happen After The Removal of Your Wisdom Tooth?
If you wonder how easy or complicated the surgery will be, it will depend mostly on your tooth’s position. For instance, if you have a horizontal impaction, your surgery will likely be the most difficult.
Depending on the kind of surgery, you may need stitches. If you have stitches, the Dentist (or nurse) will remove the stitches after one week of the surgery.
Related: How Much Does It Cost To Fix A Chipped Tooth?
The Dentist may suggest painkillers like ibuprofen if there is any pain. He (or she) may even prescribe you mouthwashes, depending on the situation. If you follow your Dentist’s instructions strictly, everything will be okay very soon.
However, some complications may happen after the surgery. Such as-
- Infection
- Dry Socket
- Pain
- Bleeding
- Swelling and more
Don’t worry. You can easily get rid of these complications also by following your Dentist’s instructions.
FAQ
What to do when wisdom teeth cut cheek?
If you have this particular situation, the best way to get out of it is to remove the teeth. If your Dentist thinks the situation can be dealt with by simply cutting the sharp edges, he may prescribe so.
Whatever you do, try to stick to your Dentist’s instructions.
Can I remove my own wisdom tooth?
Even if you can, with your bare hands or some tools, it won’t be beneficial at all. If you are not extremely lucky, there will be complications. Some parts of the tooth can remain under the gum, which may cause severe pain.
You may even damage the nearby teeth’ nerve by trying to remove your wisdom tooth. So, our suggestion is, no. You shouldn’t remove your wisdom tooth.
Do wisdom teeth break through the gum?
If your wisdom teeth break through the gum completely, it is not an issue. In this particular situation, you will have normal wisdom teeth. But things will be problematic if that does not happen.
In that case, you will have impacted wisdom teeth causing tons of problems.
Can wisdom teeth cause pain in cheek?
Yes, they can. If the impaction causes the teeth to grow abnormally, they may reach your cheek or tongue, and that may cause intolerable pain.
Final Thoughts
Impacted wisdom teeth are not good companions at all. An impacted tooth situation can even lead to a wisdom tooth cutting into cheek. It seems dangerous to us. But there is always a solution, whatever the problem is.
If you can’t afford to see a Dentist and go for surgery right now, you may follow our temporary solutions to keep the pain at bay. However, removal of an impacted tooth is not always necessary.
If you have vertical or distal impaction, you may not even need surgery at all.
To conclude things, your Dentist knows the best. Finding an experienced one is the key.
