Wisdom Teeth: Location, Pain, and Extraction for (1, 16, 17, 32)

Looking at the universal numbering system of any other tooth identification system gives you the name or number for all 32 teeth. But not everyone has 32 teeth; some may have fewer, and some may erupt more than 32 teeth. Both conditions will be discussed in this article.

What is a Wisdom Tooth in the Tooth Number System?

The last teeth to erupt at the back of your mouth are wisdom teeth, also known as the third molars. Wisdom teeth won’t make you any wiser. The term “wisdom tooth” refers to the idea that these teeth appear as a person ages and are thought to represent wisdom. They may erupt in your late teens or early twenties, many people also get their wisdom teeth in their 40s or 50s.

Wisdom teeth are 4 in number. One wisdom tooth in each quadrant (upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right). Wisdom tooth numbers are all different as per the different numbering systems.

Where is the wisdom tooth located?

These can be found at the beginning of the first and third quadrants, starting from the upper left and lower right. The location of the quadrant is at the end of your mouth, in the upper right quadrant and the lower left quadrant, respectively. 2 of the wisdom teeth are in the upper jaw, and the other 2 in the lower jaw.

As per the wisdom tooth location, the very first wisdom tooth is tooth number 1 in the upper right quadrant, which is the start of the teeth numbering in your mouth. The second wisdom tooth is at the end of the upper left quadrant and is tooth number 16. Now moving to the lower jaw, the third wisdom tooth is tooth number 17 at the beginning of the lower right quadrant. The last wisdom tooth in the lower jaw is tooth number 32 at the end of the lower left quadrant.

And the FDI and Palmer wisdom tooth numbers are the following:

For tooth number 1, the first wisdom tooth, the FDI number is 18, and the Palmer number is 8
For tooth number 16, the second tooth, the FDI number is 28, while the Palmer number for the second wisdom tooth is also 8.
For tooth number 17, the third wisdom tooth, the FDI number is 38, while the Palmer number for the second wisdom tooth is also 8.
For tooth number 32, the fourth wisdom tooth, the FDI number is 28, while the Palmer number for the second wisdom tooth is also 8.

The Universal Teeth Numbering System, which is used all over the world, assigned these tooth numbers to each of the wisdom teeth mentioned in the previous paragraph.

What if I have a Missing Wisdom Tooth?

It doesn’t make any difference if any of your wisdom teeth are missing. People can have one or two wisdom teeth, which is very normal and common. Some people have all four wisdom teeth erupting in their teens or twenties. In most individuals, people get all 28 teeth, including incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. The remaining four teeth of 32 are wisdom teeth. Check details about wisdom teeth here.

Some people never even get their entire set of 28 permanent teeth to erupt. This condition is known as hypodontia or oligodontia, which refers to the congenital absence of teeth. It can result in the absence of one or more teeth, including incisors, premolars, or molars.

Hyperdontia, also known as supernumerary teeth, is a condition where a person has extra teeth. These extra teeth may develop in any area of the mouth and may fully or partially erupt.

At What Age do Wisdom Tooth Erupt?

The wisdom tooth eruption age is generally between 17 and 25 years. Which are counted as late teens or early twenties. But the eruption age for wisdom teeth can vary from person to person. The factors influencing eruption age variation depend on genetics, environmental factors, or jaw strength. This wisdom tooth eruption time is often called the “age of wisdom teeth.”

People can have a late eruption of wisdom teeth. Some may erupt all four wisdom teeth, while others may erupt 2 or 3 wisdom teeth, and some may not even have a single wisdom tooth, which is very normal as the function of wisdom teeth is almost nonexistent over time.

In early times, the purpose of the wisdom tooth or third molar was to chew food that was hard and not chewable by incisors or canines. But as the diet nowadays is changing and all the cooking machinery makes it a lot easier to make the food soft and chewable. So even if one does not have a wisdom tooth, an individual will be able to chew and digest food easily.

The wisdom tooth development age for males and females is the same, regardless of gender. The developmental age range is roughly 17-25. The wisdom teeth in the upper jaw may, however, erupt at a slightly different time or rate than those in the lower jaw.

Symptoms of the Eruption of the Wisdom Tooth

Wisdom tooth growing can be just like other tooth eruptions in your mouth. Except if the wisdom tooth is not impacted and has full space to grow properly in the mouth. The wisdom teeth start at the development stage and then go to the eruption stage. The development process starts to form deep in the jawbone when a person is in their teens or early twenties. They start out as tooth buds and, over time, erupt as full teeth.

There are a few very common wisdom tooth symptoms of eruption listed below.

Jaw pain or discomfort: When wisdom teeth start to come in, many people feel mild to moderate pain or discomfort in the back of the jaw. This can happen because the teeth are pushing on the gums or because they are stuck in the gums.
Redness and swelling: The gums around the wisdom teeth may get swollen, sore, or reddened as they come in. This can happen if the teeth are only halfway out or are stuck in the gums, which can cause irritation and even an infection.
Stiff Jaws: Some people have trouble opening their mouths all the way because their jaws are stiff. This can happen because of swelling or because the new teeth are putting pressure on the tissues around them.
Sore throat or trouble swallowing: If the wisdom teeth are causing a lot of swelling or infection, the affected area may be close to the throat, which can make it painful to swallow or make it hard to swallow.
Bad breath or a bad taste: When wisdom teeth come in, food particles or germs can get stuck in the area. This can lead to bad breath or a bad taste in the mouth.
Headaches or earaches: The pressure and swelling can sometimes cause headaches or earaches.

It’s not necessary for everyone to have these symptoms when a wisdom tooth erupts. Some people may get a few of the symptoms mentioned above, and others may have no symptoms prior to their wisdom teeth erupting.

Swollen Gums Around the Wisdom Tooth

When there is not enough space on your jaw for the wisdom tooth to erupt. The partial eruption of the wisdom tooth causes swelling around the wisdom tooth area as the half or almost full wisdom tooth remains trapped beneath the gum line. This causes inflammation of the gum tissues.
If there is an infection in the wisdom tooth, the surrounding area can get swollen. The signs of infection are redness, pain, and pus in the area.
The third reason for the swelling can be EDEMA. When there is fluid retention due to the tissue injury, it can cause swelling around the extraction area for quite some time.

How to Treat Swollen Gums Near a Wisdom Tooth?

Treating swollen gums can be a very simple task that you can even do while sitting at home. Rinse your mouth with saltwater to treat swelling. You can also use a cold compress outside your mouth on the swollen wisdom tooth area to treat it. The third thing you can do is use topical oral gels containing benzocaine to treat the swelling around the wisdom tooth site.

Even if doing the tasks mentioned above does not help reduce swelling, you must consult your dentist to avoid any kind of critical problem.

Wisdom Tooth Pain: Understand Causes and Find Relief

Wisdom tooth pain is actually the discomfort and soreness experienced during the eruption and development of the wisdom tooth. The intensity and duration of the pain are different for individuals due to their alignment, position, and jaw size.

Wisdom Tooth Pain Causes

There are a few causes of wisdom tooth pain mentioned below:

Eruption: When the teeth starts erupting, it tries to push out of the gum tissue, which causes pain and is an indication of wisdom tooth eruption.
Swollen Gums: When wisdom teeth come in, the gums around them may become sensitive and sore. They may look red or swollen, and even a small amount of pressure on the affected area can be painful.
Pain with Jaw Movement: Pain can get worse when you chew or open your mouth wide. This is because these actions can put more pressure on the teeth that are coming in or the swollen gum tissue.
Pain That Thubs or Pulsates: Pain from a wisdom tooth can feel like it is throbbing or pulsing in the area. This kind of pain can come and go and vary in severity.
Radiating Pain: Sometimes, the pain from teeth coming in can spread to the nearby teeth, mouth, ear, or even the head. This is called referred pain.
Infection: If the teeth are impacted or only partly come in, bacteria can gather in the space and cause inflammation (pericoronitis) or infection of the gums. This can lead to more pain, more swelling, and maybe even worse symptoms.

How to Stop Wisdom Tooth Pain?

In this section, we will not only discuss over-the-counter medication for wisdom tooth pain relief but also the remedies to cure wisdom tooth pain at home. But the remedies do not work for everyone, and remedy relief depends on the severity and cause of the pain.

Below are remedies and simple medications that you can use for wisdom tooth pain relief without any prescription, and they work in the majority of cases.

Painkillers: Over-the-counter painkillers like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) can help with wisdom tooth pain. If you have any questions or medical conditions, follow the directions on the packaging or seek medical advice.
Topical numbing gels: Oral numbing gels like benzocaine, which can be bought over the counter, can briefly numb the area around the teeth to stop the pain. Follow the directions on the product and put a small amount immediately on the area that hurts.
Saltwater Rinse: Rinse with a warm saltwater solution by dissolving a half teaspoon of salt in a glass of hot water. Spend 30 seconds gently rinsing your mouth with this solution, paying special attention to the space where your wisdom teeth are located. This can temporarily alleviate pain and inflammation.
Clove Oil: Clove oil has antibacterial and anesthetic characteristics that might help numb the region and lessen any discomfort you might be experiencing. Use a cotton swab dipped in clove oil to apply the oil to the affected region. Do not ingest the excess oil but spit it out.
Garlic: The antibacterial properties of garlic may make it useful for treating pain and warding off infection. Apply the juice extracted from a crushed garlic clove. Rinse your mouth out with warm water after letting it sit for a few minutes.
Ice Pack: When applied to the outside of the cheek near the sore area, a cold compress or ice pack might help reduce swelling and numb the area momentarily. Apply the ice pack wrapping it in a small cloth each time.
Peppermint Tea Bags: Applying a cool, damp peppermint tea bag to the sore spot will help relieve the discomfort. For several minutes, hold a tea bag against the sore wisdom tooth.

Keep in mind that these treatments are not meant to replace a dental checkup. They are just for instant wisdom tooth pain relief for a few minutes or a few hours. Your dentist or oral surgeon can evaluate your teeth and recommend the best course of treatment. They will be able to correctly identify the source of your discomfort and advise you on the best course of action to take, such as extraction.

Understanding the Nature of Wisdom Tooth Pain

Many of us worry about the behavior of wisdom tooth pain and wonder, “Why does wisdom tooth pain come and go?” without working on any kind of treatment or remedy.

The answer to this question is that the impacted wisdom tooth causes pain and it goes away in the form of cycles, or when it starts erupting, it causes pain, and when it has fully erupted in a proper position, the pain diminishes.

Wisdom Tooth Extraction: Procedure and Aftercare

Extraction of Wisdom teeth can be done for several reasons. Impacted Wisdom teeth starts erupting and there is not enough space in the jaw for them to grow. Wisdom teeth grow in and can put pressure on nearby teeth when they erupt. This pressure can crowd and misalign existing teeth. They are in the back of the mouth, making them hard to clean, causing cavities and gum disease.

Procedure for Wisdom Tooth Extraction

Before deciding to extract your teeth, your dentist or oral surgeon will do an evaluation consisting of a physical exam and X-rays. They’ll look at the tooth’s location, alignment, and impact to decide if it has to be pulled. The wisdom tooth extraction surgery involves the following steps:

Anesthesia: This involves local and general anesthesia during the procedure depending on the complexity of wisdom tooth extraction. Local anesthesia is basically numbing the place around your teeth. While in general, you are unconscious.
Extraction: The incisions are made in the jaw as per the requirement for a wisdom tooth removal. The wisdom tooth is then uplifted from the socket.
Stitches: After the extraction of the wisdom tooth, the area is stitched. The stitches used are dissolvable in order to avoid any further stitches removable procedure.

Wisdom tooth extraction is usually safe, but it can cause infection, a dry socket wisdom tooth, nerve damage, or sinus issues. So always choose a professional orthodontist for the extraction procedure to ensure wisdom tooth extraction recovery.

Wisdom tooth Extraction Aftercare

It is better to follow the medical instructions prescribed by the dentist.
Don’t consume hard food, get easy on your jaws for chewing and tearing.
Take good care of your oral hygiene by brushing twice with fluoride toothpaste and flossing.
Take rest and apply ice packs to avoid swelling and pain.
Take a rest for one day to avoid any sort of disruption in healing.
Take your follow-up appointments seriously.
Do not smoke for 2-3 days and also do not use tobacco, both can cause damage to the oral surgery of wisdom tooth extraction.
Do not use straws for a few days to avoid dislodging blood clot.

Managing Wisdom Tooth Extraction Pain: Effective Strategies for Relief

Wisdom tooth extraction pain is the discomfort and soreness after the extraction. The discomfort and soreness are very normal after an extraction, but the time can vary for different individuals.

When the anesthesia is gone, the discomfort and the pain associated with that discomfort are very normal. But the intensity and duration always depend on the complexity of the wisdom tooth extraction procedure.

How long does the Wisdom Tooth Extraction Pain Last?

The wisdom tooth post-extraction pain can last from 24-48 hours, which is the highest level of pain. You might feel a throbbing or aching pain in the jaw, gums, or surrounding areas if the extraction site is sensitive. But the pain starts to decrease 2-3 days after the extraction procedure. And if you take care of the proper aftercare process, the pain completely vanishes in 3-7 days.

Depending on the severity of your dental wisdom tooth extraction procedure, the soreness and discomfort can last for weeks, and the wisdom tooth extraction recovery time can be several weeks.

Post Wisdom Tooth Extraction Bleeding

Extraction can create an open wound by removing the wisdom tooth from the jaw which results in bleeding.
The extraction causes damage to the surrounding gum blood vessels, which causes the release of blood.
For healing and protection of the jaw bone, a blood clot is formed in the empty socket, and the release of blood can help in the initial process of blood clot formation.
Bleeding may occur during extraction as tissue inflammation can increase blood flow.

Blood thinner medication can prolong bleeding following extraction. Pre-procedure drug reporting to your dentist or oral surgeon is crucial.

How do we Stop the Bleeding Post Wisdom Tooth Extraction

Sterile gauze: The dentist will place sterile gauze at the extraction site to stop the bleeding. Bite the gauze firmly to put pressure on the area. pressure on the area for at least 30 minutes and change the gauze if necessary due to excessive bleeding.
Avoid spitting and rinsing: Avoid spitting and rinsing for 24 hours, causing the dislodging of a blood clot and an increase in bleeding.
Tea bags and cold compression: Even after the initial application of gauze, if bleeding does not stop, you can moisten the tea bag and put it on the extraction site, biting it gently to put pressure on the area. Or you can use the cold compress outside of the mouth on the extraction area to stop the bleeding, as it helps with blood vessel constriction to slow down or block the blood flow.
Avoid Inconvenience: To avoid any kind of inconvenience, do not eat food that causes sensitivity to the gums or teeth, including cold, spicy, and hot food.

What are the Possible Side Effects of Wisdom Tooth Extraction?

Though, in most cases, the extraction is a minor surgery, the person can recover in a few days. The extraction is done mostly for impacted wisdom tooth. The reason for the impacted wisdom tooth is that it does not have enough room to erupt out of the gum. The possible risks or side effects of wisdom tooth extraction include the following:

Pain and Discomfort: It is normal to feel pain and discomfort in the area where the tooth is being pulled out. This can be treated with painkillers that your dentist or oral surgeon tells you to take.
Swelling: It’s normal for the face and lips to swell around where the tooth was pulled out. Most of the time, it gets worse in the first few hours and then gets better over time.
Bruising: There may be bruising around the area where the tooth was pulled or on the cheeks. This is a short-term side effect that will go away on its own.
Limited Jaw Movement: You may find it hard or painful to open your mouth wide or move your jaw. But it goes away as the person gets better.
Bleeding: After the extraction, you can expect to see some blood. But if you are bleeding a lot or for a long time, you should see your dentist or an oral surgeon. The bleeding part is mentioned above in detail, including how to control it.
Stiffness: The muscles around the extraction site may feel stiff, making it hard to fully open and close your mouth. Easy compresses and gentle jaw stretches can help loosen things up.
Numbness or burning: In rare cases, the extraction process can leave the lips, tongue, or chin temporarily numb or sensitive. Most of the time, this is brief and goes away as the nerves heal.
Dry Socket: A dry socket is a problem that can happen when a blood clot forms at the site of extraction and is then displaced. It can cause a lot of pain and make healing take longer. After a few days, if you are still in a lot of pain, you should call your doctor.
Infection: Infections are rare, but they can happen after your wisdom teeth are taken out. If you have an infection, you might feel more pain, have more swelling, have a fever, or have a bad smell or taste in your mouth. If you think you have an infection, you should call your doctor right away.

Extraction Cost of Wisdom Teeth

The extraction cost for wisdom tooth can be anywhere from $75-$200. But the cost can be higher than that if the extraction is complex and requires any specific surgical treatment. The cost can then be $225-$600 or it can be even more depending on the area you are getting treated.

The cost can vary depending on the type of general or local anesthesia used during the procedure. The important thing that needs your attention here is the insurance that you have. Your insurance may cover only a small percentage of your procedure, so it’s always better to call your insurance company and confirm what percentage of the extraction cost you have to pay yourself.

How Long do Wisdom Teeth Usually Last?

Talking about wisdom tooth age, well, they can retain their position in your mouth even for a lifetime. But for a lifetime, retaining wisdom teeth requires proper oral hygiene, a good diet, and proper dental checkups if you feel anything wrong around the jaws.

Higher Risk of Dental Issues

Wisdom teeth are more likely to develop dental issues such as cavities, gum disease, and infections than other teeth in the mouth. This is due to the fact that they are situated at the back of the mouth, making it more difficult to thoroughly clean them. Wisdom teeth that become impacted can also result in complications such as cysts or damage to the teeth that are adjacent to the impacted tooth.