Wisdom teeth are the third last permanent molars. Most people have four wisdom teeth, two in the upper jaw and two in the lower jaw.

Some of you may have lesser than 4 wisdom teeth or even none.

Each emerging at the back of the mouth around the age of 17- 25, and hence the name “wisdom tooth” refer to the late eruption of these teeth as the person is supposed to be “wiser” compared to changes of milk teeth during the early part of childhood to teenage years.

When there is insufficient space at the back of the jaw for the wisdom teeth to erupt fully in an upright position, they become impacted or blocked by the adjacent second molars in front. This create a large gap that that lead to bacterial trap and food trap causing multiple problems to you if you do not remove them early.

The following are some of the possible complications that a problematic wisdom teeth may create.

Gum infection – If the wisdom tooth has started to break through the gum line, bacteria can easily seep through this opening, setting the stage for a gum infection as it is impossible to clean under this gum flap. This infection tends to occur during period of lowered immunity like prolonged period of stress at work/study and lack of sleep.

Extensive tooth decay – Impacted or crooked wisdom teeth in relationship to the adjacent molars causing food trap in these hard-to-reach areas where it is difficult or impossible to brush or floss. The result is extensive tooth decay in the wisdom tooth itself or more commonly on the molar in front of it.

Untreated tooth decay eventually will destroy the wisdom tooth or adjacent tooth and may need to be removed eventually either one or even both teeth.

Pain – Pain, swelling and a stiff jaw are symptoms of an impacted wisdom tooth. The source of pain could be due to gum infection or tooth decay of the wisdom tooth itself or the adjacent molar in front of it. Pain is a symptoms of damage to the body, a warning sign something is wrong.

The swelling and stiff jaw is the result of the spreading infection leading to inflammation of the surrounding soft tissue and spasms of the jaw muscles.

Damage to other teeth – Crooked wisdom teeth sometime may erode the roots of neighbouring teeth, causing structural problems and may totally destroy the tooth if not detected early.

Cyst – Impacted wisdom teeth can create a cyst that damages the bone supporting teeth and the roots of adjacent teeth.

If wisdom teeth have grown in normally and in an upright position, the dentist may be able to remove them out like an ordinary tooth with a simple extraction. The tooth can be extracted under local anesthesia without performing a minor oral surgery.

Usually, wisdom teeth are impacted (blocked and crooked) to some degree or grow in sideways due to the lack of space in the jaw.

Because of this physical tight condition, a minor oral surgery or Wisdom tooth surgery is required to remove the impacted wisdom tooth by removing some bone and cutting the tooth into smaller pieces that can be squeezed out of the tight area.

For normal extraction, the procedure will usually take 10-20 minutes.

For a surgical removal, the procedure will usually take 30-45 minutes.

Before the extraction or surgical operation of the wisdom tooth area, you will have the area numbed under local anaesthesia.  You will feel some pressure or force but not pain. The injection to administer the anaesthetic can be a little painful, but our dentist may use a special numbing gel to help with this.

In the unlikely event that you start to feel pinching or pain, alert our dentist immediately. If you are anxious about feeling pain during the procedure, agree in advance a signal you can use to show our dentist that you need to speak.

It’s more likely that you’ll feel some discomfort or pain after tooth extraction, once the anaesthetic has worn off. Our dentist will prescribe you with painkillers for managing the pain.