Wisdom teeth removal is recommended when there is not enough room for the wisdom teeth to grow properly and they become stuck within your jaw. In other cases wisdom teeth start growing at an angle to other teeth, pushing the neighbouring molars and often causing pain, swelling and bite problems. In most cases, a wisdom tooth is uncomfortable and painful, pushing against your set of teeth. It is vital to remove if these are causing you pain.
60-90 mins
Table of Contents
My mission is to create a positive experience for my patients, to help them achieve the smile they desire by respecting their individual needs.
I provide surgical tooth extractions at Forest & Ray, ensuring high-quality care based on years of education and experience.
Forest & Ray's highly experienced dental team collectively holds over 108 years of expertise in dentistry, ensuring exceptional care and knowledge for our patients.
Forest & Ray is a private dentist in London (Holborn, Camden) practice offering a wide range of treatments (basically everything), same-day appointments 7 days a week and affordable prices. The key behind a beautiful smile is self confidence, and success. At Forest & Ray we ensure to help you to the best of our ability. If you place your trust in us, we will make sure you achieve your goals and maintain oral hygiene to the maximum of its capacity. Regardless of any age or condition, we promise painless treatments and a professional team.
The experience with wisdom teeth is different for everyone. For some of us, wisdom teeth can erupt without any problem. For many of us, on the other hand, wisdom teeth can cause a huge amount of pain and discomfort in some cases, even resulting in inflammation or infection.
Wisdom teeth are located at the back of the mouth and often they are called third molars. They are the final teeth to erupt and usually appear between your late teens and mid-twenties. When they are not in the right position or when there is not enough room for them to erupt, they can emerge only partially, providing a place for bacteria to grow. As these areas cannot be cleaned properly, this can lead to infection.
Many people develop impacted wisdom teeth, which are teeth that lack sufficient space to erupt or develop appropriately. Impacted wisdom teeth may partially erupt or not erupt at all.
Your impacted wisdom teeth will likely need to be extracted if it causes difficulties such as:
Private wisdom tooth extraction can be a surgical operation to remove one or more wisdom teeth — the four permanent adult teeth located in the upper and lower rear corners of your mouth. If a wisdom tooth lacks space to erupt (impacted wisdom tooth) and causes discomfort, infection, or other dental issues, it will likely need to be extracted. The extraction of wisdom teeth may be performed by a dentist or an oral surgeon.
If a wisdom tooth lacks space to erupt (impacted wisdom tooth) and causes discomfort, infection, or other dental issues, it will likely need to be extracted. The extraction of wisdom teeth may be performed by a dentist or an oral surgeon.
There are several symptoms of an inflamed wisdom tooth:
Even if impacted wisdom teeth are not currently causing problems, some dentists and oral surgeons may recommend extraction to prevent potential future complications.
It is important that a wisdom tooth should be extracted only when it is not inflamed. So if you are feeling any sort of discomfort, if your face is swollen and you feel a huge amount of pain, please contact us, so your London dentist can require you a check-up and possibly give temporary pain relief. Once the inflammation is down, we can proceed with an extraction.
If the diagnosis shows that your wisdom tooth is fully erupted, it can be extracted by a general dentist. The treatment is quick and can be done under local anesthesia. The process begins with a panoramic x-ray and a consultation with your general dentist.
If your wisdom tooth is growing irregularly, is positioned horizontally or is angled toward or away from the neighbouring tooth, the procedure will be done by an oral surgeon due to its complexity. The surgeon opens your gum with a small cut, extracts the wisdom teeth and sews the wound. This process is also painless; the operation is done under local anesthetic.
All medical procedures involve some risks. The majority of extractions of wisdom teeth do not result in long-term consequences. However, the extraction of impacted wisdom teeth occasionally necessitates a surgical procedure that includes cutting the gum tissue and extracting bone. Occasionally, issues may involve:
Depending on the expected level of difficulty with the wisdom teeth removal and your personal comfort level, your dentist or oral surgeon will use anesthesia.
Type of anaesthesia: at our clinic the team uses local anesthesia. We do not offer sedation which requires an intravenous (IV) line in your arm and it should be performed in a hospital. Your dentist or oral surgeon will administer local anesthesia through one or more injections near the site of each extraction. Before you receive the injection, your dentist or surgeon will likely apply a numbing substance to your gums. Even though you will be awake during the tooth extraction,you may feel some pressure and movement, but you shouldn't feel pain.
The process of wisdom tooth extraction generally involves the following steps:
1. Making an incision in the gum to expose the tooth and bone
2. Removing bone that blocks access to the tooth root
3. Dividing the tooth into sections if it's easier to remove in pieces
4. Removing the tooth
5. Cleaning the site of the removed tooth of any debris from the tooth or bone
6. Stitching the wound closed to promote healing, though this isn't always necessary
7. Placing gauze over the extraction site to control bleeding and to help a blood clot form
If you have received local anesthesia, your brief recovery time is likely in the dental chair. Everyone responds to anaesthesia differently. If you had a local anaesthetic and are awake, you may be able to drive yourself home to begin your recuperation without any side effects. You may even be able to return to work or resume your regular hobbies. If you are feeling drowsy, you will require someone to drive you home.
If you can't think of anything else, then you might as well go home.
The majority of patients have minimal to no discomfort following surgery. You may likely experience swelling and minor pain for around three days. Your mouth may require a few weeks to fully recover.
In order to recover from your surgery, adhere to your dentist's instructions regarding:
Bleeding: Some oozing of blood may occur the first day after removal of the wisdom tooth. Try to avoid excessive spitting so that you don't dislodge the blood clots from the tooth socket. Replace gauze over the extraction site as directed by your dentist or oral surgeon.
Pain management: You can manage pain with over-the-counter painkillers or a prescription from your dentist or oral surgeon. If the bone is removed during the treatments, prescription pain medication may be more helpful. Putting a cold pack against your jaw may also relieve pain.
Swelling and bruising: Apply an ice pack to the affected area as directed by your dentist or surgeon. Swelling of the cheeks usually improves within two to three days. Bruising may take several more days to go away. Antibiotics may be prescribed by your oral surgeon.
Activity: Plan to take it easy the day of your surgery, resuming normal activities the following day. For at least a week, though, steer clear of anything too strenuous that could dislodge the blood clot from the socket.
Beverages: It is recommended that patients drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol, caffeine, carbonated, or hot beverages for the first 24 hours after surgery. Additionally, patients are advised not to drink through a straw for at least one week following surgery, as the sucking action could dislodge the blood clot from the socket.
Food: Within the first 24 hours, consume soft foods like yogurt or applesauce. Once you can tolerate them, move on to semi-soft foods. To avoid discomfort, abstain from hard, chewy, hot, or spicy foods.
Cleaning your mouth: For the first 24 hours after surgery, do not brush your teeth, rinse, spit, or use mouthwash. You will usually be told to resume brushing your teeth after the first 24 hours. Be very gentle when brushing near the surgical wound, and gently rinse your mouth with warm salt water every two hours and after meals for a week.
Tobacco use: Smoking should be avoided for at least 72 hours after surgery, as it can delay the healing process and increase the risk of complications.
Stitches: You may have stitches that dissolve within a few weeks or no stitches at all. If your stitches need to be removed, schedule an appointment to have them taken out.
Call your dentist or oral surgeon immediately if you suffer any of the following symptoms, which may suggest an infection, nerve damage, or another significant complication:
You may wish to ask your dentist or oral surgeon the following:
Our address is: 8F Gilbert Place, London, WC1A 2JD in Holborn. About Camden: Lincoln's Inn Fields is a neighbourhood in the extreme south of the borough that is only 500 metres from the Thames. The northern part of the borough is home to Kentish Town, Hampstead, and Hampstead Heath, which are less populous districts. Numerous parks and open areas may be found in the London Borough of Camden. City of Westminster (near Soho, London) and the City of London are the next-door boroughs, followed by Brent to the west of what was once Roman Watling Street (now the A5 Road), Barnet and Haringey to the north, and Islington to the east. It encompasses all or a portion of the following postcode areas: N1, N6, N7, N19, NW1, NW2, NW3, NW5, NW6, NW8, EC1, WC1, WC2, W1, and W9.
The borough of Camden also includes Bloomsbury, known for its garden squares. To the west, the fashionable district of Marylebone is rich in shops and restaurants, while the prestigious Mayfair extends slightly into Camden. Covent Garden, famed for its entertainment and market, adds to Camden's vibrancy. Bordering the east of the borough are Clerkenwell and Farringdon, hubs for the design industry and renowned for their mix of old and new architecture. Although Lambeth and South Bank are located south of the Thames and not within Camden, they contribute to the broader cultural scene that Camden residents can easily access. To the east of Camden, beyond Islington, lies the diverse and bustling borough of Hackney, which provides a distinct cultural blend of its own. Wimpole Street and Harley Street (very close to Camden) are famous for the high number of private health care providers, especially dentists.