If it hurts right at the back of your jaw, the gum over a partly erupted wisdom tooth is often inflamed. Food debris and bacteria collect under the flap of gum. Until your appointment, rinsing with warm salt water, gently brushing the area and a painkiller from the pharmacy help. Ask the pharmacist for advice. Get in touch soon: we clean and rinse the area, and the symptoms often ease quickly afterwards. Call the same day if your cheek swells, you can hardly open your mouth or swallow, or you have a fever. If you have difficulty breathing, call the emergency number 144.
Updated: 9 November 2026
How to recognise it
- pain right at the back, often in the lower jaw, sometimes spreading to the ear
- red, swollen gum over the tooth
- a bad taste or smell
- pain when chewing or swallowing, your mouth opens less wide
- sometimes fever and feeling run down
Pain in this area can also come from decay in the wisdom tooth or the tooth next to it. That is why we take a close look.
What helps until your appointment
- Rinse with warm salt water several times a day, especially after eating.
- Brush the area gently, even if it bleeds a little.
- Take a painkiller from the pharmacy. Ask the pharmacist for advice.
- Cool your cheek from the outside. Avoid warmth.
- Eat soft food and chew on the other side.
When it is urgent
Call us the same day if your cheek swells, you can hardly open your mouth, swallowing hurts or you develop a fever. Outside our opening hours, contact the dental emergency service or a hospital emergency department. If you have difficulty breathing or severe trouble swallowing, call the emergency number 144.
What we do
- Examine. We examine the tooth and gum, with an X-ray where it helps.
- Clean and rinse. We clean the area under the flap of gum, under local anaesthetic if it is sensitive.
- Antibiotics only when they help. Antibiotics only come into question if the inflammation spreads, for example with a swollen cheek or fever.
- Discuss the next steps. Once the inflammation has settled, we discuss calmly whether the tooth can stay.
When a wisdom tooth should come out
Not every wisdom tooth causes problems. A healthy, fully erupted wisdom tooth that you can clean well can stay. Reasons for removal:
- repeated inflammation around the same tooth
- decay in the wisdom tooth or the tooth next to it that is difficult to treat
- damage to the neighbouring tooth or a cyst around the wisdom tooth
Before a lower wisdom tooth is removed, an X-ray, often supplemented by a three-dimensional scan, shows how close the roots are to the nerve.
