Have you ever checked out the wonder weeks website? He could be in a wonder week (developmental leap) and that often causes sleep disturbances that will pass on their own.
If you suspect teeth, I would give meds at BT to see if that helps. If he really struggles to get back to sleep, I would probably try holding him until he drifts back off. If he's been an independent sleeper for a long time, one or two nights of that shouldn't cause a problem. I was more relaxed about doing that on DS's tough nights than I was with DD and it didn't ruin his good sleep habits. You could also just try bringing an air bed into his room so you can lay beside him and keep a firm hand on him for the jolts (and also get some rest yourself).