Wisdom; it’s all relative right? Wisdom teeth, named such because of their late emergence in the mouth, at an age when people are thought to be wiser, actually refers to the final third set of molars that erupt in late adolescence or early twenties. Though these teeth can be helpful in heavy-duty chewing, unhealthy and misaligned wisdom teeth require removal. Indeed, when things go wrong back there, it can get seriously painful. Better to keep vigilant, then, and look out for these 4 signs that you need wisdom teeth extraction done.

PAIN 

Pain, in the jaw or at the tooth site, is a sign of a dental problem. The pain can be described as a pounding or pulsating that is felt at the location of your wisdom tooth, though it can radiate further; in your jaw, head, and even your shoulder area as it intensifies. You can take over-the-counter pain medications like Ibuprofen to ease the severity of pain in the short term, and visit your dentist at the nearest convenience. This isn’t a problem which will simply go away, so don’t let your apprehension about going to the dentist deter you.

As the team at Mead Dental UK recommends, it’s crucial to reduce the consumption of sugary foods like fizzy drinks. Like other teeth, the wisdom tooth can also be affected by plaque caused by sugar and any other fermentable carbohydrate. Acting early on wisdom tooth pain ensures you can address underlying issues before they worsen, preventing more complex dental problems.

MISALIGNED OR PARTIALLY ERUPTED WISDOM TOOTH

Once you’ve gotten over your trepidation, the dentist will assess how your wisdom tooth is developing. If it’s partially erupted or misaligned, your wisdom tooth needs to be extracted because any misaligned tooth crowds the teeth or causes damage to the adjacent teeth. What’s more, partial wisdom tooth eruption leaves your oral cavity vulnerable to tooth decay and infection. And no one wants that.

Read: The importance of seeing your dentist regularly

SWELLING OF THE GUMS

As the guys at Revitalise, who offer dental implants in Cornwall, tell us, “when the wisdom tooth starts to break through the gums, you’ll feel some discomfort caused by the swelling of the gums.“

That said, it’s important to be aware that swollen gums can be caused by a nutritional problem, such as a vitamin deficiency wherein the swelling is not isolated in the wisdom teeth. It’s important to hone in on the issue to identify its cause. 

To help reduce swelling of the gums in the wisdom teeth, you should consider:

• If the swelling is worsened or caused by a piece of food that got stuck in the area. Should this be the case, make sure to rinse your mouth thoroughly. When the food is washed away, the swelling will subside on its own.
• A dentist may also recommend rinsing your mouth with warm salt water or an ADA-approved antiseptic oral rinse. 
• Apply a cold compress or an ice pack directly to the face’s swollen area.
• You may also suck on ice chips and keep them near or on the swollen area.
• You can also take over-the-counter anti-pain medication such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs (e.g., Motrin or Advil).
• Avoid things that may irritate the gums, like tobacco and alcohol. It’s a wise move to quit smoking since it’s bad for dental health.

SIGNS OF GUM DISEASE 

Pericoronitis pertains to a dental disorder wherein the gum tissue becomes infected and swollen around the wisdom tooth. Once the wisdom tooth comes through the gums, complications may lead to pain, swelling and infection if the tooth partially emerges, which allows bacteria to enter into the gums. 

It may also emerge that the wisdom tooth is positioned incorrectly, which allows food to get stuck, promoting the growth and proliferation of cavity-causing bacteria. Also, if there’s a cyst forming on the surrounding of the wisdom tooth that can damage both teeth and the bone holding them together, this could also cause issues. 

Some of the signs and symptoms of pericoronitis include:

• Painful and swollen gum tissue in the affected area, making biting down difficult
• A bad taste or smell in the mouth
• Pus or discharge from the gum near or surrounding the tooth
• Signs and symptoms of more serious symptoms include swelling of lymph nodes located under your chin or swelling of the submandibular nodes, jaw muscle spasms, and swelling of the face.

It’s important to note that the diagnosis of pericoronitis is made during a clinical exam. If the dentist notes inflamed gum tissue of the partly erupted or unerupted wisdom tooth with swellings or pus, antibiotics will be prescribed to reduce swelling and infection, and wisdom tooth removal will be scheduled.

Read: 6 different types of cosmetic dentistry procedures explained

SO, HOW CAN A DENTIST HELP?

Most of the time, you won’t notice obvious signs that your wisdom tooth should be extracted. Your dentist needs to assess your wisdom tooth to determine if it will cause future dental health problems. They’ll perform a thorough assessment of your oral health; in a dental clinic, your dentist will take a look for possible signs of wisdom tooth decay by taking an X-ray. 

It’s important to see your dentist immediately if you notice any of the signs and symptoms of problems regarding the wisdom tooth that are listed above. Feeling discomfort, pain, or stiffness may indicate that your wisdom tooth is partially erupting or is infected by bacteria. Prompt removal of your wisdom tooth is necessary if it shows visible signs of tooth decay or is misaligned.

While it’s one of modern life’s most common declarations, that we’d be ‘lost’ without our smartphone, have you ever tried actually being lost without one? It’s a bloody nightmare. With penetration at more than 85 percent of the adult population, more people these days use a smartphone than wear a wristwatch, and most of us have endured that feeling of panic when we venture out and realise we’ve left ours at home. 

When you’re on your travels, whether it’s for work or leisure, your reliance on that little handset is even stronger. Step out without one in a land far flung, and the holiday can enter crisis mode quick time. But it’s not just about checking in with loved ones via WhatsApp or trying to provoke your friends’ green eyed monster on Instagram. Nope, with the right app downloads, your travelling life just got a whole lot easier. With that in mind, here’s 5 IDEAL smartphone apps to install when travelling.

TOO BUSY CONVERTIN’

If you’re travelling overseas, the ease and convenience of paying for things on the go, as well as changing currency, sometimes comes at a cost. While you can use your contactless card in a shop or to withdraw currency from an ATM, you still need to get your head around local prices, since the further off the beaten path you stray, the less likely your card is to be accepted.

Searching on your mobile browser for a currency converter every time is the equivalent of having ‘tourist’ tattooed across your forehead and only works if you can get a data signal. Instead, install an app. There are plenty to choose from, but look for one that works offline; pretty much essential, we think. XE Currency is one of the most popular choices with the broadest range of currencies. 

A LITTLE LEISURE TIME

Here’s a home truth to jolt you out of your ‘dream trip’ fantasies; a lot of ‘travel’ can be pretty damn boring. There’s always time to kill when travelling, make no mistake, and there can be some huge slogs on the plane or the coach to suffer through. Keep yourself entertained, then, by downloading the latest streaming service apps; Netflix, Amazon Prime, Now Tv…different strokes, same principle. 

There are also gaming apps you can download to keep yourself busy. Nope, not Candy Crush, though that wouldn’t do any harm, actually. We’re thinking something to keep your brain sharp on the road, like Chess with Friends or Andoku Sudoku.

NOW YOU’RE TALKING MY LANGUAGE

Part of the experience of visiting new and mysterious places is to learn at least the basics of a new language, and it’s well worth making the effort. After all, you’re never going to unearth that proper street food find, or get an invite to a raucous, traditional wedding celebration with the locals if you’re muttering ‘dos cervezas s’il vous plait’ to no one in particular. 

Fortunately, there are some really clever translation apps out there now that will instantly translate spoken as well as written word. It’s worth experimenting with a couple to see which you find easiest to work with, but iTranslate or Google Translate are obvious places to start, depending on whether iOS or Android is your platform of choice. 

MINDFULNESS & MEDITATION

Should you have trouble sleeping on the road, suffer from flight anxiety, or simply fancy using your time travelling to get into a good meditative place, an app which offers guided meditations could (and should) be for you. Headspace and Calm are two of the most popular and user friendly in an increasingly crowded field, and both offer offline, downloadable sessions. The options for specific meditations are pretty much endless, so whatever kinks you have in your brain you’re wishing to iron out, making use of the down time of a plane journey is a sensible move for those in need of a little self care.

LAST MINUTE HOTELS

Was your Airbnb reservation suddenly cancelled by the host? The hostel you booked grottier than you anticipated? Or do you just prefer to travel by the seat of your pants? Us too. Well, Hotel Tonight specialises in last minute hotel bookings, partnering with hotels to flog empty rooms for cheap last minute. In other words, everybody wins with this one. 

More of a planner? Hotel Tonight also allows you to book rooms for tomorrow, next Tuesday and well beyond. And if things go awry and that charming boutique hotel isn’t as clean or accessible as you promised, you can seek help or redress through the app’s concierge service, staffed by real humans and not bots. The catch, if there is one? Hotel Tonight offers deals on lodgings throughout the Americas, Europe, and Australia, but hasn’t spread into Asia and Africa yet.

We live in a global marketplace. The idea of starting up a tech business in Silicon Valley and then waiting years so that you can expand it overseas, while once cutting edge, is now becoming antiquated. Things move fast, make no mistake, and modern technological advances have made it possible for you to sell your products and also your services internationally from the comfort of your own home. 

Conventional currency now holds less weight. For this reason, tech companies are now working hard to try and target an international market, in all the rich forms that takes. Jump aboard the bandwagon, we’re going global; here’s how to expand your tech start-up’s reach internationally in 5 IDEAL steps.

CONDUCT RESEARCH

Expanding overseas successfully and sustainably requires a full and comprehensive assessment of the marketplace and of your place within it. This means evaluating factors such as your business strengths, weaknesses and even your product modifications.

Changes will be essential in order to accommodate international users, as tastes and habits diverge hugely according to geographical variations; don’t assume the whole world plays to the same tune. Instead, practice website internationalisation, a key component in reaching a global audience.

CHOOSE YOUR FIRST MARKET

Take the lead from successful entrepreneurs like Tej Kohli, who has invested millions in tech start-ups and AI. He didn’t do that by guessing what his next move should be. Instead, he and many others meticulously calculate data and focus on individual markets such as AI and healthcare technology before entering. When compared to targeting technology as a whole, this enables far greater precision. 

Follow this example; focus your product, target a niche and then find a market that has a need to be filled. Some of the big tech hubs of the world include France, Japan, the UK and the US. If you work in the tech industry then the market that you target should have a high broadband signal, a stable political environment and a somewhat accessible payment infrastructure as the very base level requirements.

ESTABLISH A GREATER ONLINE PRESENCE

International reach is most succinctly achieved in the virtual rather than physical space. If you want to start raking in good quality exposure to your target market and start making sales 24 hours a day, an online presence is absolutely essential.

A professional, globally inclusive website and company ‘tone of voice’ should become a number one priority when trying to drive business growth; it instils trust in the consumer and advertises that you are a truly international brand, with all the increased sales that brings. An open armed social media campaign, delivered in several languages and targeting the niche cultural capital of various growing markets will stand you in good stead when trying to define yourselves as ‘global’.

PRIORITISE YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE

Having excellent customer service is one of the key factors that fuels your business success when looking to expand international reach. While we may not all speak the same language, great customer service knows no borders or barriers; it translates well regardless of the company’s country of origin. 

So, while we’d hate to condense each person’s inherent value into their worth to your company, we’re talking business here, so contradict ourselves we shall. Every employee should, when called upon, provide sterling customer service which leaves a long lasting, positive impression on the end user. This takes so many forms and the style and manner of delivery differs from business to business and niche to niche. The one consistent to be maintained is to be efficient, polite and accommodating. Make this your benchmark.

SPECIFICS

International errors happen as the result of unfortunate oversights. Indeed, each country has their own peculiarities when it comes to investment, marketing and even legal requirements. Take Netflix for example, in the year 2016, they decided to branch out into more than 130 new countries. They faced an array of roadblocks including lack of content for local audiences, undeveloped payment processes and more. The company also failed to adjust the pricing for all of their services to match the regional economy. Several hard lessons were learnt along the way.

So, think about what your supply chain is going to look like? Are you targeting a region within a country, or multiple countries? How much capital do you need for legal, translation and marketing? It all matters.

There’s so much to bear in mind with tech-based international expansion, but the core rules of business success remain the same. We hope you remember us when you’re floating your company on the stock market. Good luck!