Gum Pain

About 3 days ago I began to have severe pain in the back of one side of my mouth on the bottom gum. The pain just came about all of a sudden so I went to see a dentist yesterday. He very quickly looked and said that my wisdom teeth were coming in and needed to be removed but part of me thinks that because the wisdom teeth were noticed the last time I was in that this was the quick easy answer to my pain.  The gum behind the wisdom tooth has become fairly swollen and very painful to touch. The pain is canstant and more severe then I would have expected for just the tooth. The source of the pain is the gum behind the wisdom tooth but it causes pain throughout the whole side of my mouth.  I was wondering if in fact this is just the wisom tooth or if there could be a gum problem that was missed? Also, if there is anything that can be done to fix the problem or relieve the pain before getting the teeth removed?

[Jerome Bogin, D.D.S.]

It does sound like a pericorinitis which is an inflammation of the tissue over and or surrounding the unerupted  third molar. You can rinse with salt water and take an antibiotic until the tooth is extracted. And yes it can cause that much and extensive pain.