Advice please on gum/mouth issue

[Francesca_curious]

I have been having problems with my mouth for the last 2-3 weeks. It started as a pain at the back of my mouth, which was also causing slight ear ache and jaw ache. I went to the dentists about a week ago. He thought that the pain was related to the fact that my bottom wisdom tooth is lying flat beneath the gum, so my top wisdom tooth was growing too much and was digging into my gums, causing them to be painful. He shaved some of the top wisdom tooth off and it seemed to make sense. However, I am still in as much pain, or even more. Also there are other symptoms, my salivia smells bad and I have general throat pain too. Also, what I only noticed recently is I have something which looks like a hole in the corner of my mouth between the gum and cheek which is very sore (the same side with the problem wisdom tooth). The pain in that side of the mouth is really sore, opening my mouth hurts, and when I wake up I can only describe it as feeling like its on fire. I'm not sure what to do and whether I need to go back to the dentist?

Any help much appreciated.

 

[MattKW]

So it sounds like pericoronitis, or gum infection, of that lower wisdom tooth. Shaving a bit off the top wisdom will get it away from biting into the lower gum, but does nothing to address the infection. Go back to the dentist, get an OPG X-ray, and see if the wisdom teeth (upper and lower) should be extracted.

 

[Francesca_curious]

Okay I will do, thanks very much. I thought it could be some kind of infection but didn't want to waste the dentists time if it was just something which would naturally recover.