Most people forget all about their wisdom teeth until they begin to cause trouble. If you're unlucky enough to be experiencing pain in your wisdom teeth, you won't be forgetting them again in a hurry.

What causes wisdom tooth pain?

Wisdom teeth tend to emerge during the adult years, generally by the age of 25. Your wisdom teeth will grow behind your molars, in both the top and bottom rows of teeth. The troublesome thing about wisdom teeth is that they often grow askew, causing them to push against your molars, which can lead to your other teeth being pushed out of position. Wisdom teeth can even fail to fully emerge, instead becoming trapped inside your jaw, and spreading pain throughout your mouth, neck and head.

So, how can you tell if you have wisdom tooth pain?

It's often hard for people to pinpoint the exact source of their dental pain, as the causes of tooth pain are numerous. Tooth decay, fractured teeth, cracked or missing fillings, infected gums and even nerves exposed by grinding your teeth during the night can all lead to a host of forms of discomfort and pain.

Wisdom tooth pain is also incredibly varied, causing excruciating, ongoing pain in some, and only a mild sensitivity in other sufferers. If your wisdom teeth are to blame for the pain you feel, you can often recognise it by reading these signs:

• Pain behind your molars, right at the back of your mouth        

• Gums around the affected teeth that are inflamed and red

• Some sufferers will also see signs of their wisdom teeth peeking through their gums, although others will have no visible indicator that these teeth are emerging.

Impacted wisdom teeth

Sometimes it is possible for your wisdom teeth to become impacted, or blocked by your other teeth or jaw. If your wisdom teeth have become impacted you might experience:

• Considerable pain in your jaw

• Red and swollen gums

• Bad breath

• A terrible taste in your mouth.

Impacted wisdom teeth can have serious consequences, permanently damaging your jaw or surrounding teeth and allowing bacteria to enter the open tissue in your mouth, causing an infection. Infections caused by impacted wisdom teeth can lead to cysts and even tumors and, if surgery is needed to treat the situation, further complications can arise.

What to do if you have wisdom tooth pain

If you are experiencing dental pain, it is important to see your dentist as soon as possible. The longer wisdom tooth pain goes untreated, the more likely your teeth are to become impacted. Your dentist can diagnose your problem and treat it as painlessly as possible, before bigger problems emerge.