These are the third molar teeth and the last teeth in your mouth to come through. Not everybody has wisdom teeth. They normally come through between the ages of 18-25.
Often there is not enough room in the jaw for them to come through properly and they get trapped in the bone or gum. They may be partly visible through the gum or may be completely buried.
If part of the wisdom tooth has appeared through the gum and part of it is still covered, the gum may become sore and perhaps swollen. Food particles and bacteria can collect under the gum edge, and it will be difficult to clean effectively.
A mouthwash of medium hot water with a teaspoon of salt will help to reduce gum inflammation and soreness, an antibacterial mouthwash such as corsodyl can also be very useful to reduce the inflammation. Pain relieving tablets such as ibuprofen can also be useful for short-term use, but consult your dentist if the pain continues.
We can advise you on whether this is likely to be a short term problem that can be dealt with by using mouthwashes and/or antibiotics or whether it is better to have the tooth removed.
The removal of a wisdom tooth is more complicated than a normal extraction and a small operation may have to be performed. This usually involves a small cut being made in your gum and also maybe the removal of some bone. Stitches may be necessary to close the socket. Normally they can be removed under local anaesthetic although sometimes we may decide to refer you for a general anaesthetic.
With any operation you can expect some pain afterwards. This is usually easily dealt with by painkillers such as ibuprofen. The homeopathic remedy Arnica is particularly good at reducing swelling.
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