Yes, wisdom teeth can cause headaches, usually when an impacted or partly erupted tooth inflames the gum or presses on the jaw. The pain often settles once the cause is treated, and sometimes that means wisdom teeth removal. This blog will walk you through 10 signs of a wisdom tooth headache, home relief and when the tooth should come out.
What wisdom teeth are and why they cause trouble
Wisdom teeth are the third molars, the last teeth at the back of each side of the jaw. They usually start coming through in the late teens or early twenties, according to the NHS guide to wisdom tooth removal, after the jaw has almost finished growing.
When there is not enough room, a wisdom tooth can be blocked by the tooth in front (impacted) or come through only partly, with a flap of gum still covering part of it. The NHS lists the problems this causes: pain and swelling, gum infections (pericoronitis), food getting stuck, decay, gum disease, cysts and abscesses. A wisdom tooth that comes through straight and can be cleaned usually causes none of these, and the NHS advises leaving it in place and checking it at routine visits.
Why wisdom teeth cause headaches
Headache specialists recognise a tooth as a real cause of headache. The International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3), the system doctors use to diagnose headaches, has its own entry for headache caused by the teeth. It notes that tooth problems usually cause toothache or facial pain "but may refer pain to the head". A wisdom tooth does this in three ways.
Infection under the gum flap
A partly erupted wisdom tooth leaves a flap of gum over its crown. Food and bacteria collect underneath, where a toothbrush cannot reach, and the gum becomes infected. This is pericoronitis. ICHD-3 names it as one of the most common causes of a headache from the teeth, alongside abscesses and gum infections. A 2024 review in Wiadomości Lekarskie found it is most often diagnosed in adults aged 20 to 29, with pain, gum swelling, difficulty opening the mouth and sometimes pus.
Pressure and referred pain
The trigeminal nerve carries feeling from the teeth, the jaw, the temple and the area in front of the ear. When a wisdom tooth presses against the molar in front or inflames the bone around it, the pain signal can be read as coming from further along that nerve. That is why a problem at the back of the jaw is so often felt at the temple or the ear rather than in the tooth.
Tight chewing muscles
A sore tooth changes how you chew. Many people clench or chew on the other side, which tires the jaw muscles. One of the main chewing muscles, the temporalis, fans out across the side of the head above the ear, so a tense jaw is felt as a temple headache.
10 signs your headache is coming from a wisdom tooth
ICHD-3 links a headache to a tooth when the timing, the side and the response to pressure all point to it. These signs follow the same logic. The more of them you have, the more likely the wisdom tooth is the cause.
1. The headache is on the same side as the wisdom tooth
A problem tooth on the lower left gives a headache on the left. A headache across both sides of the head points away from a single tooth.
2. It started when the tooth began coming through
Headaches that began around the time you first felt a tooth at the very back of your jaw, or a sore gum there, fit a wisdom tooth.
3. Biting or pressing on the back tooth makes it worse
Pressure on an inflamed tooth or gum flap sharpens the pain. ICHD-3 uses this as one of its tests.
4. Your ear aches on the same side
The lower teeth, the jaw joint and the ear share nerve pathways, so earache often comes with a wisdom tooth headache while your hearing stays normal. Our guide to wisdom tooth ear pain explains the link.
5. The gum behind your last molar is swollen or sore
A red, puffy gum flap over the back tooth is the clearest sign of pericoronitis. It may bleed when you brush.
6. There is a bad taste or bad breath at the back of your mouth
Food and bacteria trapped under the flap, and sometimes pus, leave a bad taste that brushing does not clear.
7. It hurts to open your mouth wide
Swelling beside the wisdom tooth can tighten the chewing muscles until you cannot open fully. Dentists call this trismus.
8. Your jaw feels stiff and sore
A dull ache along the jaw, worse after chewing, often comes with the headache from tense muscles.
9. Hot, cold or sweet food sets off the pain
Sensitivity at the back of the mouth can mean decay on the wisdom tooth or on the molar in front of it, which is hard to clean.
10. Your cheek or jaw is swelling
Swelling you can see from the outside means the infection is spreading beyond the gum. See a dentist the same day. If you also have a fever, trouble swallowing or trouble breathing, go to the ER.
Where a wisdom tooth headache is felt
A wisdom tooth headache usually sits on one side and in one of these places:
- the temple, the most common spot, from the chewing muscles and the trigeminal nerve
- the side of the head, spreading up from the jaw
- in front of or behind the ear
- along the jaw and cheek, close to the tooth
If your headache keeps returning to the same spot on the same side, and your jaw is sore with it, have the wisdom tooth checked before putting it down to stress or migraine.
Wisdom tooth headaches vs TMJ disorders
A wisdom tooth and a temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder both cause jaw pain and headaches, so they are easy to mix up. They have different causes and need different treatment.
Signs that point to a wisdom tooth
- The pain started around the time a wisdom tooth began coming through.
- The gum behind your back molar is swollen or tender.
- Pressing on that area makes the pain worse.
- The headache stays on the side of the problem tooth.
Signs that point to TMJ
- Your jaw clicks, pops or grinds when you open or close it.
- Your jaw aches with no sore tooth or gum to explain it.
- The pain is worse with stress, clenching or grinding at night.
- Your jaw catches or locks when you open wide.
The two can overlap. An erupting wisdom tooth can change how you bite and chew, which can set off or worsen jaw joint pain. If you are not sure which you have, a dental exam can tell whether the source is the wisdom tooth, the jaw joint or both. Our page on TMJ disorder treatment covers the jaw joint side.
Sinus headaches and migraine
A sinus headache usually sits behind the cheeks, eyes and forehead, often on both sides, and comes with a blocked or runny nose. Migraine is a headache disorder in its own right, with attacks that often bring nausea and sensitivity to light. A wisdom tooth headache stays near the back of the jaw on one side and follows the tooth: it flares when the gum flares and eases when the tooth is treated.
How to relieve headaches from wisdom teeth
Home care eases a wisdom tooth headache while you wait for a dental visit:
- Rinse with warm salt water several times a day. It calms the gum flap and clears trapped food.
- Brush gently around the back tooth with a soft brush, so food does not sit under the flap.
- Take ibuprofen, which eases inflammation as well as pain, or acetaminophen if ibuprofen does not suit you. Check with your doctor first if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or have another health condition.
- Hold a cold pack against the jaw for 15 minutes at a time to bring down swelling.
- Eat soft food and chew on the other side to rest the jaw.
None of these fix an impacted or infected tooth. If the headaches keep coming back, talk to your dentist about extraction. An X-ray shows whether a simple extraction or surgical removal is needed.
When a wisdom tooth headache means the tooth should come out
Home relief takes the edge off a wisdom tooth headache. These three signs mean the tooth itself will keep causing trouble:
- Gum infections keep coming back. A first flare of pericoronitis can often settle with cleaning and rinses. The UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) treats a second or later episode as the point where removal is the appropriate step.
- The molar in front has decay on its back surface. A wisdom tooth tilted forward traps plaque against the molar in front, where no toothbrush reaches. In a 2023 study of 353 panoramic X-rays in Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dentistry, 47.5% of impacted lower wisdom teeth had decay on the second molar beside them.
- The headache returns with the same tooth. Under ICHD-3, a headache from a tooth worsens as the tooth problem worsens and eases as it heals. If the headache comes back every time the gum flares, the tooth is the cause, and removing it removes the cause.
Our guide to the signs your wisdom teeth need removal covers the X-ray findings dentists look for as well.
What Dr. Dan Javaheri tells patients
Dr. Dan Javaheri, lead dentist at Smiles By Design Dentistry of San Diego, finds that patients rarely connect a headache with a wisdom tooth before they come in.
"Patients come in describing a headache or ear pain, and they're surprised when we trace it back to a wisdom tooth," Dr. Javaheri says. "The nerves in that part of your jaw are closely connected to nerves that run up toward the temple and ear, so it's not unusual for the tooth itself to feel like a minor issue while the headache is what actually brings someone in."
He also cautions against waiting too long to investigate. "If a headache keeps showing up on the same side as a wisdom tooth that's coming in, or if you're noticing jaw soreness alongside it, that's a pattern worth checking rather than just treating the headache on its own. An x-ray takes a few minutes and tells us immediately whether the wisdom tooth is the source."
His advice: note when the headaches happen and whether they line up with jaw pain, chewing or pressure on the back molars. That pattern is often the clearest clue. If the tooth needs to come out, our page on wisdom tooth extraction in San Diego explains the procedure and recovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a wisdom tooth cause a headache on one side?
A wisdom tooth headache is usually on one side, the same side as the problem tooth. ICHD-3, the international headache classification, uses this as one of its tests for a headache caused by a tooth. A headache across both sides of the head is less likely to come from a single wisdom tooth.
Can wisdom teeth cause migraines?
Wisdom teeth do not cause migraine, which is a headache disorder in its own right. A wisdom tooth headache is usually a one sided ache at the temple or jaw. If you have migraine and also notice a sore gum at the back of the jaw, have the wisdom tooth checked, because the two can happen together.
Will removing the wisdom tooth stop the headaches?
If the wisdom tooth is the cause, removing it removes the infection and pressure behind the headache, and the headache should ease as the area heals. If headaches continue after healing, the jaw joint, sinuses or a primary headache disorder need checking.
When is a wisdom tooth headache an emergency?
Call 911 or go to the ER if a wisdom tooth headache comes with trouble breathing or swallowing, swelling spreading down the neck or towards the eye, or a fever with a swollen face.
Can you get a headache after wisdom teeth removal?
Some pain, swelling and a stiff, sore jaw are normal for up to two weeks after wisdom teeth removal, and should start improving after a day or two, according to the NHS. Pain that gets worse instead, a few days after surgery, can be dry socket. Call your dentist rather than waiting it out.
How much does wisdom teeth removal cost in San Diego?
At California in network rates, removing a wisdom tooth costs from $145 for an erupted tooth to $462 for a complicated impaction buried in bone, plus X-ray and sedation fees. Four teeth with IV sedation and an X-ray come to about $1,575 before insurance.
Do wisdom teeth always need to come out?
Wisdom teeth do not always need to come out. NICE advises against removing healthy impacted wisdom teeth that cause no problems, and the NHS says a tooth that is not causing trouble is usually left in place and checked at routine visits. Removal is for teeth with infection, decay, cysts or repeated pain.
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