Have you ever experienced headaches associated with wisdom teeth? They can be anything but “wisdom-inspired.” Unlike with most dental issues, wisdom tooth pain can be challenging to treat with over-the-counter painkillers.
Your wisdom teeth typically emerge between 17-25, and can cause many different problems if there is insufficient room or they become misalign. Learn more about whether Wisdom Teeth Cause Headaches to determine whether this could be a potential issue for you.
Wisdom Teeth and Headaches
Impacted Wisdom Teeth
If you are an older teen or young adult experiencing frequent headaches, one potential cause could be your wisdom teeth. Depending on how much room they have to grow, wisdom teeth could line up perfectly behind second molars or be angled toward the back of the mouth and lie within jawbone space (impacted). Also possible is having them completely trapped beneath gum tissue (full impact).
Impacted wisdom teeth are vulnerable to infection, cyst formation and malocclusion. Furthermore, they may also create an improper bite that puts stress and pressure on nearby teeth – leading to tension and pressure on nearby ones.
When this occurs, lower jaw muscles try to compensate by spasming throughout the head; over-the-counter pain relievers and warm salt water rinses may provide temporary relief; but for long term relief it’s best to have impacted wisdom teeth removed either at your dentist’s or an oral surgeon’s office.
Misaligned Wisdom Teeth
As wisdom teeth emerge, they exert great strain on both gums and jaws, often leading to swelling in those areas and sometimes radiating to other parts of the head such as throat or neck pain.
Wisdom teeth may erupt partially into the mouth, leading to bacteria collecting around it and leading to pericontis, an infection known as which may result in swollen gums, tooth decay and headaches.
Many dentists advise extracting wisdom teeth when they first appear or before they become impacted, in order to relieve pressure on other teeth that are trying to erupt or have already emerged, thus decreasing pain in those areas and helping prevent headaches.
You should visit a local dentist for an evaluation of your wisdom teeth; they will be able to determine whether an impacted or potentially misaligning wisdom tooth needs to be extracted.
Too Much Pressure on the Wisdom Teeth
When your wisdom teeth begin to emerge, it’s crucial that you visit a dentist for examination and advice regarding removal or not. Untreated partially-erupted wisdom teeth can collect food debris, leading to gum swelling and decay as well as potentially inducing pericontis infections – all which must be treated immediately in order to keep your oral health safe.
Pericontis occurs when a wisdom tooth becomes trapped between existing molars and partially emerges into the mouth, placing extra pressure on surrounding teeth and roots, leading to pain, discomfort and even headaches.
Over-the-counter painkillers may help ease any headaches caused by impacted or erupted wisdom teeth, but if your headaches are frequent or reoccur daily, make an appointment to visit a dentist to have them evaluated – sooner is better, as their removal could prevent future issues in your mouth, jaw and face.
Gum Disease
Many individuals visit their healthcare provider with headache complaints when the cause could actually lie within the mouth and jaw area. Common dental issues that lead to headaches include toothaches, jaw pain and gum disease – tension from these can often build up inside our jaws resulting in headaches.
Sometimes toothache may even travel up into the head and lead to migraine symptoms, due to irritation to your trigeminal nerve that provides sensation for lower and upper lips, teeth, gums and gum lines resulting from infection or wisdom tooth issues that go untreated.
At Ahwatukee dentist Janet Euzarraga’s Ahwatukee office, wisdom tooth extraction is recommended to avoid these potential issues from occurring. Their quick and painless treatment can ease discomfort and even headaches with local anesthesia; in most cases no sedate is needed – call today if suffering from wisdom tooth pain and let’s schedule your appointment together!
Can Wisdom Teeth Cause Headaches?
Wisdom teeth can indeed inflict headaches, and several factors contribute to this discomfort.
- Tense jaws and inflamed joints: The wretched wisdom teeth, vexing and inflaming the jaws, may pave the path to headaches and migraines.
- TMJ/TMD quandary: The malevolent wisdom teeth are not alone in their wickedness; accomplices like TMJ/TMD, teeth gnashing, and a faulty bite contribute to the torment of headaches.
- Pressurized and inflamed: If your skull throbs with sinus-inflicted pain, it is conceivable that the pressure and inflammation surrounding your wisdom teeth bear the blame.
- Nerve oppression: While the precise trigger eludes comprehension, it is surmised that the wisdom teeth, by pressing on the jaw’s nerves, may instigate a tempest of headaches.
- Awry occlusion: As the wisdom teeth sprout forth in cramped mouths, they coerce neighboring teeth to shift, bringing forth an improper occlusion. Such misalignment prompts the lower jaw to compensate, resulting in torment, and lo, headaches.
If you suffer the affliction of headaches and suspect the maleficence of your wisdom teeth, it is incumbent upon you to consult a dentist. Meanwhile, seek solace in painkillers as you await the extraction of these accursed molars. Additionally, hot and cold therapy, salt water rinses, and other remedies may bring temporary relief.
How Can You Relieve Headaches Caused by Wisdom Teeth
When burdened by headaches from wisdom teeth, relief can be sought before their extraction. Consider these remedies:
- Painkillers: Aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen – over-the-counter analgesics alleviate wisdom tooth-induced headaches.
- Saltwater rinses: Gargling warm saline mitigates inflammation, offering respite from pain.
- Cold compress: Placing icy packs on the jaw reduces swelling, soothing discomfort.
- Hot and cold therapy: Alternating temperature applications curtail inflammation, relieving agony.
- Locate wisdom tooth removal services: Permanently resolving headaches necessitates extraction. Identify an esteemed dentist or oral surgeon for this crucial procedure.
Note, however, that these remedies provide temporary succor and cannot substitute professional dental intervention. Urgently consult a dentist to ascertain the optimal treatment course for wisdom tooth-related headaches.
