The removal of wisdom teeth (or third molars) is one of the most common surgical procedures carried out in the UK.
The wisdom teeth grow at the back of your gums and are the last teeth to come through. Most people have 4 wisdom teeth (1 in each corner).
These teeth tend to grow through the gums in people during their late teens and early 20's.
Quite often these teeth need to be removed as there isn't enough space for them in the mouth and as they become crowded, can cause significant pain and discomfort as they emerge from an angle.
Your wisdom teeth don't usually need to be removed if they're impacted but aren't causing any problems. 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, this can cause tooth decay and gum disease.
It can take up to 2 weeks to recover from the surgery for having your wisdom tooth or teeth removed.
During this time, you may have:
If you need to remove any wisdom teeth, at Church Lane Staffordshire we have years of expertise in this routine dental procedure and we'll support you from consultation to post-recovery.