Oral surgery

Wisdom tooth removal is one of the most common oral surgery procedures in dentistry. These teeth are the last to appear, and usually begin to come through in your late teens. Most people have four, but it is not unusual to have fewer, or even none.

As they push through, the surrounding gum can become inflamed and sore, a condition known as pericoronitis. This may settle down or come and go over a period, but frequently recurs, when removal is indicated.

Because wisdom teeth are the last teeth to form, there sometimes isn’t room for them, and so they might come through at an awkward angle, impacting the teeth in front or the bone behind.

If this happens it is likely that you will notice something wrong because of the pain, so our first priority would be to get you in for a scan to get a clear picture of what is happening underneath the gumline, and assess how to safely remove the tooth.

Wisdom tooth extraction is a routine procedure and nothing to worry about, although we do offer intravenous sedation for nervous patients.

Surgical removal of wisdom teeth is frequently covered by your health insurance.

Specialist surgical/oral medicine referrals are undertaken by Keith Smith and Ian Brook, both are GDC registered Specialists in Oral Surgery.