SKL Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I'm 47 and never got my wisdoms. I remember my granny cutting a tooth when I was a kid - after she already had a full set of false teeth. So I'm having a weird, painful swelling way back behind my back-most molar. There's a hollow between my molar and this swelling. It feels like the gum is growing up behind my tooth. It hurts like a blister, but I can't remember what it feels like to cut a new molar. Have I lost my mind? :P PS, I checked to see if there was any food or the like stuck back there, and there isn't.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Well, I didn't get my wisdom teeth until my mid-20s (I think I had at least one child), and at 36, a couple of them are still not completely through; from time to time, they hurt a bit for a few days, and then I notice that I can feel more of them, so I think they have erupted a bit more. Doesn't seem impossible that yours could be coming in at 47. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 If you press on the sore spot, do you feel any hard or sharp edges? Does the area look inflamed or infected? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 I did an unscientific google search and they say some people are 70 or 80 before their wisdoms come in. :P No comments from the peanut gallery about how 'that explains a lot.' :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 My 2 of my wisdom teeth came in in my mid 20s and the third in my early 30s. They can continue to move after they cut through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSong Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I only had one bottom wisdom tooth...none at all on the other side. The one I have (had) came in sideways and I had it removed as an adult so yes, it's definitely possible that you are cutting a wisdom tooth. An x-ray would tell for sure. I still have my two upper wisdom teeth but they are very high up and my dentist said they'll probably never come in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datgh Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I would have a dentist look at it if it has bothered you for a while. Not to scare you but my Dad thought he just had an infected tooth and it turned out to be oral cancer. It had bothered him for several weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 I will be having a cleaning done this spring anyway, so I will have it looked at if it still remains a mystery then.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnolia Rain Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 It's not uncommon to have these types of symptoms due to a cyst that can develop around wisdom teeth that aren't removed. Unfortunately, the longer they are left unchecked, the more if your jaw bone they 'eat away'. I would have it checked by your dentist, and ultimately removed by an oral surgeon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 You could have an infection in an impacted wisdom tooth or a cyst. It is rare that you would be actually missing them. More common is that they never erupted. It's not something to futz around with. I'd see someone sooner rather than later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphus Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 I would go get it looked at. I had 2 1/2 sets of wisdom teeth, but the second set was known about for years, on x rays it shows up. The third half set (bottom only) was a surprise though, so it can happen. A relative got new front teeth in her 70s, after having dentures since she was 20, that was a surprise! Perhaps we are part shark, lol. An abcess might not hurt right now, but it's nothing to fool with- go in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abacus2 Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 This needs a simple dental x-ray ASAP. If it is not a tooth it could be very serious if untreated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 I have had this feeling multiple times over the years, except I have had my wisdom teeth removed so I know it's not a tooth. I asked the dentist about it once and while I can't remember the specific answer the gist was sometimes the gums swell and it hurts but nothing is really wrong (at least in my case), and it always settled down in a week or two. The gum would even feel hard when this was happening but there really was no tooth under there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 I have had this feeling multiple times over the years, except I have had my wisdom teeth removed so I know it's not a tooth. I asked the dentist about it once and while I can't remember the specific answer the gist was sometimes the gums swell and it hurts but nothing is really wrong (at least in my case), and it always settled down in a week or two. The gum would even feel hard when this was happening but there really was no tooth under there. I think you're referring to here is pericoronitis, right? That can be extremely painful. It doesn't sound like it is incredibly painful to OP. To OP, wisdom teeth can definitely come in later in life. Sometimes it is possible that if other teeth have been extracted, this allows room for the wisdom teeth to erupt. Another possibility is that there is a retained root from a previous extraction that you are feeling. Sometimes retained roots (an incomplete extraction where a root tip broke off and dentist decided it is better to leave it there) will erupt on its own. But as others have said, an X-ray will be able to tell if it's a wisdom tooth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 I think you're referring to here is pericoronitis, right? That can be extremely painful. It doesn't sound like it is incredibly painful to OP. I have no idea as I don't remember any specific name being given it but what I have was definitely not extremely painful by any means. More of an annoyance and definitely felt like something was pushing in the gums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted January 22, 2014 Author Share Posted January 22, 2014 I have never had a tooth extraction. I did have some work done in that area a few months ago, to replace some fillings and fill some new cavities. They had debated whether to do a root canal and decided not to. But this is behind the farthest-back tooth. I guess I will watch it for another day or so and decide if it needs looked at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.