No one welcomes the idea of having a tooth removed but sometimes it is a necessary step. The teeth most commonly removed are the wisdom teeth; situated at the back of the gums, these are the last teeth to come through. By being the last to arrive – they usually appear during the late teens or early twenties – they often find there isn’t enough room for them to grow properly as the other 28 adult teeth are already established. The result? The wisdom teeth may only partially emerge, or do so at an angle and get stuck.
But why do wisdom teeth need to come out?
As long as your wisdom teeth are causing no problems, no action is required. However, their location at the back of the mouth and their semi-emerged position can make them difficult to keep clean. Food and bacteria may become trapped resulting in plaque. Left to build up, this in turn can lead to a bacterial infection resulting in an abscess; other consequences include cavities, cellulitis, pericoronitis (an infection of the soft tissue surrounding the tooth) and gum disease. At our specialist dental practice we see many London patients who are concerned about their wisdom teeth. In many cases, the first step is antibiotics or a filling, but extracting the troublesome tooth may be the next appropriate step.
Surely wisdom teeth removal is going to hurt?
The idea of extracting a tooth is a brutal one – but the reality is very different. In experienced hands and with highly effective anaesthesia, the procedure is painless. You will experience a degree of discomfort as your dentist applies pressure to free the tooth, but your gum will feel completely numb. And by following aftercare instructions to the letter, you can expect to have a trouble-free recovery. At our central London specialist dental practice, we put patient comfort first, making the experience far from the dreaded event most people anticipate.
