Swelling/impaction of Wisdom tooth

[anakindv]

I'll preface this by saying that I'm in my early 20s and my teeth are in fairly poor condition because I never grew up with good dental hygiene because my family was poor so I've recently been trying to take back my dental health and learning how to take care of my teeth better. My wisdom tooty on my left side started hurting a few days ago and while I'm waiting to see the dentist, the pain has gotten unbearable to the point I have headaches and my ear was popping. Since the nearest appointment in my area was a month away, I've just been rinsing and also using a little bit of turmeric to reduce inflammation in the area and some painkilling meds to get me through the day.

Based on what little I know (I'm not self-diagnosing but merely observing) that my wisdom tooth has erupted and due to overcrowding has become chronically infected, has reached a point where I need it taken out.

I just looked at my teeth tonight and I noticed there is some swelling and that's worrying me as it still hurts very much (but I can tolerate it) Please advise. Does this look like a life threatening emergency or can I just wait till my scheduled appointment in a month?

 

[Dr M]

Good day
It is difficult to see clearly on the photo. The infection might be associated with the erupting wisdom, since it definitely requires extraction, but I would also suggest taking an x-ray of the adjacent tooth, since the abscess might be associated with that tooth as well. You definitely have infection, so I would suggest maybe seeing a normal doctor for a script for some antibiotics and stronger anti-inflammatory medication, just to pull you through until your appointment, or alternatively phone around for another dentist with an earlier availability.