Contact us now

We’re Accepting New Patients!

Read More Next

Looking for a caring and professional dental practice? We’re excited to welcome new patients to our clinic! Whether you’re due for a check-up, need treatment, or are looking to enhance your smile, our friendly team is here to help.
Contact us today to book your first appointment—we look forward to meeting you!

Wisdom teeth

Wisdom teeth are molars which are the last adult teeth to develop in the mouth. Most people have four wisdom teeth at the back of the mouth — 1 in each corner.

They usually start to appear in gums in late teens, early twenties, but it can also be quite common to appear later. By this time, there are already 28 adult teeth in the mouth and so the development of wisdom teeth can often be impacted by restricted space, causing problems as they grow. Wisdom teeth can sometimes emerge at an angle or get stuck and only partially emerge. Teeth that grow through like this are known as impacted.

When to see a Oakmead Dental Care dentist

Impacted wisdom teeth don't always cause symptoms. However, when an impacted wisdom tooth becomes infected, damages other teeth or causes other dental problems, you may experience some of these signs or symptoms:

Red or swollen gums
Tender or bleeding gums
Jaw pain
Swelling around the jaw
Bad breath
An unpleasant taste in your mouth
Difficulty opening your mouth

As with any teeth problems, if you are experiencing any of these symptoms it's important to book an appointment at Oakmead Dental Care to see a dentist as soon as possible, rather than waiting for routine dental health review.

What can I do to help relieve the discomfort of wisdom teeth?

A mouthwash of medium-hot water with a teaspoonful of salt will help to reduce gum soreness and inflammation. Swish the salt water around the tooth, trying to get into the areas your toothbrush cannot reach. Do this several times a day.

An antibacterial mouthwash containing chlorhexidine can also reduce the inflammation. Pain-relieving tablets such as paracetamol or ibuprofen can also be useful in the short term, but talk to us at Oakmead Dental Care if the pain continues.

Why are wisdom teeth removed?

If your wisdom teeth are impacted but not causing any problems, you don't usually need to be remove them. This is because there's no proven benefit of doing this and it carries the risk of complications.

Sometimes, wisdom teeth that have become impacted or haven't fully broken through the surface of the gum can cause dental problems. Food and bacteria can get trapped around the edge of the wisdom teeth, causing a build-up of plaque, which can lead to several problems in the mouth:

  • Damage to other teeth. If the wisdom tooth pushes against the second molar, it may damage the second molar or increase the risk of infection in that area. This pressure can also cause problems with crowding of the other teeth or require orthodontic treatment to straighten other teeth.
  • Cysts. The wisdom tooth develops in a sac within the jawbone. The sac can fill with fluid, forming a cyst that can damage the jawbone, teeth and nerves.
  • Decay. Partially impacted wisdom teeth appear to be at higher risk of tooth decay than other teeth. This probably occurs because wisdom teeth are harder to clean and because food and bacteria get easily trapped between the gum and a partially erupted tooth.
  • Gum disease. The difficulty cleaning impacted, partially erupted wisdom teeth increases the risk of developing a painful, inflammatory gum disease in that area.

Many of these problems can be treated with antibiotics, antiseptic mouthwash and a good oral hygiene regime.

Wisdom teeth removal is very common, but usually only recommended when other treatments haven't worked.

How are wisdom teeth removed?

If your Oakmead Dental Care dentist recommends removing your wisdom teeth, they'll take an X-ray of your mouth to help them determine who should carry out the procedure. Your dentist may remove your wisdom teeth, or they may refer you to a specialist surgeon for hospital treatment.

Before the operation, we’ll fully explain the procedure to you.

A local anaesthetic injection is usually given to numb the area around the tooth. You'll feel some pressure just before the tooth is removed, as your dentist or oral surgeon needs to widen the tooth socket by rocking the tooth back and forth.

A small cut in the gum is sometimes necessary, and the tooth may need to be cut into smaller pieces before it's removed.

It takes anything from a few minutes to 20 minutes, or sometimes even longer, to remove a wisdom tooth.

After your wisdom teeth have been removed, you may have swelling and discomfort, both inside and outside your mouth. Occasionally, some mild bruising is also visible. This is usually improves after 3 days, but it can take up to 2 weeks. If this continues for longer, or progresses, please get in touch with the team at Oakmead Dental Care as soon as possible.

Prevention

You can't keep an impaction from occurring but keeping your regular dental appointments for cleaning and reviews enables your dentist to monitor the growth and emergence of your wisdom teeth. Regularly updated dental X-rays may indicate impacted wisdom teeth before any symptoms develop.

If you have any concerns about your wisdom teeth, or are experiencing any pain, give us a call on 01342 325363.

Patient Reviews

People are talking about us

The biggest complement we receive is when our patients refer their friends and family to Oakmead Dental Care. In fact, we have built much of our practice on these valued, trusted recommendations over the years. Read our reviews to hear why our patients are recommending us…

Leave a Google Review

Patient reviews

1094 Reviews

5.0

14th June 2025

Excellent people, always make you feel comfortable. Every move explained as the appointment progressed.

13th June 2025

Dr Andrew Hopkins is amazing . My kids like him and visits are great highly recommended

12th June 2025

Very friendly and helpful staff. Appointment ran to time

12th June 2025

Everything is organised and everybody is friendly and polite,which I thick good.It helps to relax the patient.

12th June 2025

Waited less than 5 minutes to be seen, the dental nurse was polite and friendly. The dentist, Paul Cassidy greeted me well nd we had a good discussion regarding my treatment for the immediate and long term. Had to phone the surgery to book with Paul as he doesn’t seem to appear on the internet booking system, maybe this could be amended. I gave a lower mark on cleanliness as the surgery is undergoing renovation which affects its presentation.

11th June 2025

Painless. Very friendly and helpful. Always reassuring and extremely professional.

10th June 2025

Great service and staff very helpful to meet my needs

9th June 2025

Mr Paul Cassidy is kind patient and understanding . I feel safe in his hands .

8th June 2025

Extremely thorough and professional treatment throughout

7th June 2025

I never really look forward to visiting any Dentist, but at Oakmead you always receive treatment in a very professional and caring way.Hopefully the present experienced and caring team will always be there for me.

7th June 2025

The whole team & knowledge.

5th June 2025

I attend Oakmead to see Gabby. I followed her from her 2 previous practices. She is an extraordinary practitioner and I am always grateful her acceptance of my anxieties and her attention to detail for my best outcome.

4th June 2025

The team in general, work together very well and Andrew is an exceptional dentist

3rd June 2025

The whole team are so invested in helping patients .Great customer service . Superb dentists . Saw Paul for implant info ….wonderful manner

3rd June 2025

Everyone is so kind, polite and caring. Cannot fault anyone!!

30th May 2025

Have known Andy as a friend for some 50 years. The surgery as managed by him ticks along.

30th May 2025

All the staff at the practice are highly professional, well-trained and have great customer care skills. I am never in any doubt about the treatments I will be receiving, together with why and how these will proceed. The practice is exemplary and all the staff are terrific ambassadors for the practice in particular and the dentistry profession generally.

24th May 2025

The dentist, hygienist and dental nurse were very professional, efficient and most of all friendly and caring.

23rd May 2025

Punctual, informative and happy environment

21st May 2025

Always professional and friendly. This dentist works with the customer and nothing is too much effort.

Prev Previous
Next Next