Most people have four wisdom teeth, two in the upper jaw and two in the lower jaw. These teeth often become ‘impacted’, which is where the tooth doesn’t grow through the gum properly (or only grows part way through) and sit in an abnormal position. This is unhealthy and the tooth should be removed to prevent problems with erosion, cysts, infection, or crowding.
What are wisdom teeth?
Symptoms of wisdom teeth
Symptoms of wisdom tooth infection include:
• Red, inflamed gums alongside the wisdom tooth.
• Swelling.
• Soreness.
• Pain.
• Pus at the gum line.
• Difficulties with opening your mouth and swallowing.
• Fever.
It’s best to have problematic wisdom teeth removed. Many people worry about the pain of having a wisdom tooth extracted, but you generally won’t feel pain during the procedure. Our dentists will discuss your options for pain relief, which vary from a simple local anesthetic (the medicine that makes your mouth numb) to sedation. Our special team of dentists prescribes pain relief to help with any discomfort even after the procedure.
