Any dentists able to give their opinion on painful wisdom tooth?

[Juniperberries200]

DS, 18 has been complaining for a week about having pain with his wisdom tooth, bottom left which hasn't come through yet.

He said the pain was getting unbearable and was making his throat painful too and asked me to make an appointment at the dentist.

He went today. The dentist took X-rays and said it would never come through as it was growing sideways, but is reluctant to take it out as there's a nerve attached.

Where do we go from here? Will it continue to flare up?

I had the same issue, my wisdom tooth was growing sideways.

I ended up having 3 infections (requiring antibiotics from the dentist) and then it was removed under a general at hospital as it became impacted.
The surgeon told me they don't like removing them unless they have to as it can damage the nerves in the jaw.

Did the dentist give him antibiotics?

If he gets another infection, it could be worth getting a second opinion and ask for a hospital referral

well I’m only a hygienist but I’d say it sounds like he needs a hospital referral

id call back tomorrow and/ or email the practice manager and explain what you’ve told us here

if you get no joy there then I’d suggest a second opinion.

If the wisdom tooth is unerupted then it's unlikely to be the source of pain

What did the dentist do about the pain?

He's had one episode of pain, no indication of significant infection, not even necessarily from the tooth (as OP reports it's unerupted)

There's no indication for extraction at this stage. Even if it is pericoronitis then one episode is still not indication for extraction. Many people will have one episode of pain/infection. He's 18 so the tooth has plenty of time to erupt. The dentist themselves maybe perfectly capable of extracting it

OP follow the advise of the dentist. If it continues to cause problems then you may consider taking it out.

I'm 45 and my lower left wisdom tooth started coming through about a year ago. So far I've had 6 infections needing antibiotics as it's impacted and food gets stuck behind ( even though I'm always brushing my teeth) . The dentist said it's so far back/ awkward it's impossible to clean. I was referred in July to have it taken out and been told the waiting list is about a year. The problem is the antibiotics have now stopped working and I can't be in pain for a year so I am lucky that I'm going private and having it out in January. My tooth is also close to the nerve and the dentist has explained the risks but I can't keep it in as it's always getting infected and now the antibiotics are starting not to work.

Thank you for the replies. DS said the tooth feels like it's coming up very tight to where the gum meets the jaw.
The dentist gave his teeth a clean but didn't offer antibiotics or pain relief, so I'm assuming there was no infection. He said they'll keep an eye on it.

DS is just taking paracetamol for the pain.

He needs a 3D xray. A normal one only shows a 2D image so the nerve could just be overlapping the tooth. A detailed 3D image provides a good surgeon with all the info to extract the tooth. Nerve damage is always a risk but in the vast majority of cases, feeling will return. (Compare it to women getting csections. It's impossible to do a csection without cutting through plenty of nerves and most have a numb area for a while but the nerves eventually regrow).

3D xrays are not available in all practices and smaller machines may not be able to capture with wisdom tooth area accurately (hardest part of the mouth to image). If you really want it taken out, which is probably the best idea, you may need to research a bit and go private.

Mine is similar to @Jowak1 I don’t think it’s entirely uncommon to have issues with wisdom teeth.

Im 34, all 4 were impacted and hospital Xrayed and refused to remove due to risk of nerve damage.

1 is now through as I have a gap on that side where a previous tooth was removed. 2 others are partially erupted and regularly infected. 1 isn’t through at all

I just take painkillers and keep as clean as I can.

The one that’s thought is likely to need a filling, or something doing to it as well, due to previous damage. Dentist was quite worried about it previously.

See what new dentist says next week!

Had to go private of course, no NHS even though I’m entitled to free due to baby DS. Shambles at the moment in dentistry!

@User79785435 Ah this explains how my dad’s ones returned feeling.

They removed his and he lost feeling for years but then it did eventually re-appear. I hadn’t realised that could happen

I've just remembered, DS described it as a weird kind of pain, sore but a numb feeling too.

Why does he need a code beam CT? There's no indication the tooth needs to come out, let alone that it needs a 3d xray

Most people will find that one episode of pain settles and doesnt recur. Normally can be kept under control with good cleaning. If it doesn't settle then you may consider taking it out. But without looking at the xray you can't say oh yes
it needs a CBCT, oh yes it needs to come out.

Op follow the advise of the dentist. They are the professional who has seen the tooth, the xray and is qualified.