Some times you can get a bit of an ache when the tooth is trying to erupt. Usually the wisdom teeth make an appearance between 17 and 21 years of age.

We have seen them erupt underneath a denture of somebody in their seventies however!  So if you are older than 21yrs of age and you do not have your wisdom teeth yet then it could be that they are a bit stuck ( impacted) or maybe they just are not there. It is not uncommon for one or more of the wisdom teeth to never develop.

When you have severe pain with an infection around the wisdom tooth it is called a "pericoronitis" which just means infection around the crown of the tooth. Often you wiil have a bad taste in your mouth and feel quite unwell, possibly with a fever.  It is very important that you receive attention from your dentist or doctor as soon as possible. Pericoronitis of a lower wisdom tooth can become life threatening if the infection spreads to the inside wall of the throat. It is important to start taking antibiotics. The cause of the pericoronitis is usually infection of the gum flap covering the partially erupted tooth.

One important point is never apply external heat like a hot water bottle, to ease the pain. All that happens is that it draws the infection into the cheek and can make matters worse. Use hot salty mouthwashes instead. As with any infection with fever do not exercise.