What do do about this? Tooth extraction

[holybaloni]

I'm on the waiting list to have a wisdom tooth removed and also the tooth next to it. The wisdom tooth isn't decayed but apparently it has caused the decay of the molar next to it. The dentist has advised I'll have a long wait of up to a year before I can get these surgically removed at the hospital.
It's been mostly fine since referral a few months ago but recently I've started to feel a bit of pressure in my jaw area and I've been getting headaches. I have sensitivity on that side when chewing crunchy things too.
I'm aware it's probably the tooth getting worse but I really don't know what to do. Is it worth having antibiotics? It seems such a long time to wait for something that can turn very painful very quickly.

I would advise going back to your dentist and getting them to have a look at it. Is your wisdom tooth fully erupted into your mouth or is it still erupting or cannot manage to fully erupt so has stopped part way through?

The dentist won't, or at least shouldn't, prescribe antibiotics unless there is an active infection. I personally don't prescribe unless a patient has fever and/ or trouble opening their mouths with ongoing bad pain.
A sensible way to manage the sensitivity might be to avoid letting the decay in the next-door tooth progress. Make sure you're keeping all surfaces fully clean, and not letting food get stuck between them as this can drive decay.

The wisdom tooth is partially erupted. I've had an x ray which showed that that tooth next to it is the one that's decayed.
The pain isn't horrific, more niggly. But it's making me worry how bad things might get before I get a date through to have them out.

If it is partially erupted there is a chance it could be pericoronitis which is when the gum becomes infected, normally due to food getting trapped. This can cause the area to become inflamed which could be causing the sense of pressure. However, if the pain is just a bit niggly then it is unlikely to be that as it is normally quite painful. I would just keep an eye on it for now and see what happens. If needed, you can get an emergency dentist appointment or attend the dental hospital. Also, keep in mind that lots of things in the head can cause referred pain so it may not be to do with your teeth at all and the source could be your ear.

I have got a partially erupted wisdom tooth. It is so annoying as every couple of months it gets infected and my cheek swells up and I look like a hamster! I brush it more vigorously when I feel it start to flare and up and use corsodyl mouthwash a few times a day. This seems to help and I have managed to avoid antibiotics so far, though on occasion do take ibuprofen.

I have a similar issue only it isn’t wisdom teeth. It’s a molar that was cracked so finely that the dentist can’t see it on the X Ray and yet I can feel it & pressure on the gum too. It aches constantly.

I’m on a private waiting list for root canal which is 16-24 weeks even though Ill have to pay approx £1k for the privilege and I’m tempted to have it out instead as I have read up on this and RCT can fail!

It was infected a few months ago and I had antibiotics but my dentist is still convinced it’ll heal and get better anyway. How will a crack heal itself? Especially if I can feel it hurt when I bite down.

£1k for a RCT! And still weeks to wait. It’s ridiculous 😭

@10kgcookies I'm no expert but I think when it gets past a certain point there is no saving the tooth. Root canal might help a bit in the short term but ultimately if the damage is bad enough it will end up coming out anyway. I'd just get it taken out, save yourself the additional pain and expense.
I'm baffled as to how there can be such long waiting lists for things that can be so painful, debilitating and potentially dangerous if left untreated. I'm getting by with paracetamol at the minute but the dentist said it could flare up badly at any time which is really worrying, we have abroad holidays coming up and I can't think of anything worse than getting a severe tooth infection while out of the country and unable to see a dentist quickly. It's really playing on my mind.

If you're experiencing pain that you weren't experiencing before, you should go back to the dentist - they can check for infection, potentially prescribe you antibiotics if it's infected, check to see if the decay has progressed etc.

I'm guessing your dentist mentioned the waiting list because at the time, your tooth wasn't actually causing you discomfort, so wasn't a priority case. But if the decay is causing infection then it would be more urgent.

It might just be standard, mildly annoying wisdom tooth pain - I have one that plays up about every six months. There's no infection but it just seems to flare up as it tries to push through a bit more, and it's uncomfortable and my jaw feels stiff for a few days.

@holybaloni I’m with you, I want it taken out but they keep saying 1) it’ll heal 2) RCT if you want it and 3) we will always try and save a tooth and extract only when necessary.

I just want it gone and I am also going abroad so want it sorted before August. Extraction waiting times are long as well here (South West)

I hope you get it sorted :(

@KreedKafer the isn't horrific. I think if it were infected it would feel a lot worse and I'd be feeling unwell in general (I had an abscess once and I was written off for a good week with the pain and lethargy).
But I think now I know it's decaying I'm constantly on high alert and possibly noticing the niggles and sensitivity more iyswim.
If it becomes a real issue I'll get some antibiotics but I just want it gone so I can forget about it now and stop worrying and waiting for a potential flare up.

Why were you referred to the hospital? Can your own doctor not remove it?

@Bignanna because it's a wisdom tooth and a problematic one at that (at an odd angle apparently). The dentist said it would be better done by an oral surgeon.

Perhaps your dentist could contact the hospital’s dental department and arrange for it to be done as an emergency? They shouldn’t wait until it’s at the abscess stage. A year long wait is unacceptable.

@Bignanna thats exactly how it works here as well. They literally wait until it’s abscess before referring to hospital. My dentist won’t even do his own root canal treatment 😂 that’s a referral as well (to an even pricier dental surgery which charges £290 for a new patient consultation on top of the £1k ish Root Canal Treatment!)

It’s an absolute piss take.

Thats a full months wages for me!

I think if it became an abscess they'd just prescribe antibiotics. It wouldn't make the extraction appointment any quicker. They manage it until they get round to taking it out which is a bloody long wait.

i understand why the wisdom tooth needs to be extracted at a hospital, but can the molar not be extracted sooner?

It can be but the private dentists are all booked up apparently. Well mine is and if I try and find a new practice they charge me £200+ JUST for a “new patient consultation” and that’s without an x ray

I wasn't given the option to have them done separately, not really considered it to be honest. And it's the molar that decayed so you'd think it'd be the logical solution.

I've had a very similar scenario - molar damaged by a sideways wisdom tooth. My dentist tried to save the molar by doing an extensive filling on it in October and referred me to the dental hospital to remove the wisdom tooth. From that moment onwards I was in agony with constant infections, constant back and forth, my dentist tried to remove the molar but couldn't get me numb and tried to do the removal 3 times where I could feel everything. After a lot of upset, back and forth, and constant pain, I was finally given an appointment last week to have the molar out under sedation. The wisdom tooth remains and they aren't bothered about removing it now the molar is out. It's been awful and traumatic so I really feel for you. If I'd have known how it was going to play out, I'd have found a way to pay the thousands to have it done privately.

@SleepySheepy that sounds horrendous. I am quite pleased that they have advised extraction for both because sometimes trying to save them with root canal and fillings seems to just make them flare up more. As was obviously the case for you.

It's just the wait. And the discomfort in the meantime. As I said it isn't horrific right now but I feel like it could get that way.

I’d definitely ask if there’s a possibility of having it removed separately and sooner. I recently had mine removed on the NHS and the wait was just a couple of weeks, just outside London, so I suspect a private one would manage to fit you in!

My son had exactly the same problem, impacted wisdom tooth had caused decay in the tooth next to it and needed extracting under general anaesthetic in hospital. He asked if the tooth with the decay could be removed by the normal dentist as he got an abscess under it but was told not. I can't remember the exact explanation but something like it would make it more difficult to get the impacted wisdom tooth out due to bone growth. He needed antibiotics and strong painkillers at one point. He actually waited three years in the end but the first year was due to a mistake in sending the referral by the dentist and the rest blamed on covid waiting lists. It was all fine in the end after the extractions.

Thank you for this. So did the painkillers and antibiotics keep the infections and pain under control until he got them removed? Thank you

Have you opted to have the tooth out under a general anaesthetic? If so, you might be able to get it done more quickly under a local.

I had a partially erupted impacted wisdom tooth removed in hospital a couple of years ago. My dentist said there was about a 6 month wait to have it done under a local, but up to a year under a general. I opted for local and in the event only had to wait about 4 months.

I would go and see a different dentist, or maybe a couple.

Get a second and third opinion.

Sometimes other dentists are more willing (and capable) of extracting them.

Some dentists may just be lazy and not want to do it, so refer instead.