Wisdom Tooth Extractions

Wisdom Tooth Extraction Referral

We are now offering an Advanced Dentistry Referral Service from dental colleagues or from patients themselves for a complex wisdom teeth extractions.  At Larkham House we have the latest CBCT imaging scanner to enable advanced diagnosis for complex procedures and patient care. We aim to see failed extraction patients within 7 days of receiving the referral. Please contact us for further details.

All our dentists can remove wisdom teeth, but Dr Vivek Giddani is our oral surgeon who receives referrals for complex wisdom teeth extraction.

What is an Impacted Wisdom Tooth?

• An impacted wisdom tooth occurs when it doesn’t have enough room to come through the gum and may become twisted, tilted or displaced.
• Soft tissue impaction occurs when the crown of the tooth has penetrated through the bone, but the gum is still covering part of the tooth.
• Partial bony impaction is when the tooth has partially erupted, but a part of the tooth remains submerged in the jawbone.
• Complete bony impaction occurs when the tooth is entirely encased by the jawbone.

Why should I have my Wisdom Tooth removed?

Impacted wisdom teeth can trap food and bacteria, starting a build-up of plaque, which in return results in further dental complications such as:

• Gum disease. This occurs when plaque releases toxins that irritate your gums, making them red, swollen and painful. This can also affect the surrounding teeth and the bone around the wisdom teeth.
• Tooth decay develops when plaque begins to break down the surface of your tooth and when more advanced, it leaves cavities in the tooth, which also may affect the surrounding teeth.
• A dental abscess – is when pus collects in your wisdom teeth or the surrounding tissue due to a bacterial infection.
• Pericoronitis which is an infection, caused by plaque in the soft tissue surrounding the tooth.
• Cellulitis – a bacterial infection in the cheek, tongue or throat.
• Cysts and benign growths – if a wisdom tooth hasn’t emerged through the gum it could develop a cyst or fluid-filled swelling.

Symptoms of Wisdom tooth infection

Make an appointment with your dentist If you experience any of the following symptoms

• Red & itchy gum near the wisdom tooth.
• Swelling.
• Feeling Pain.
• Pus coming from the gum.
• Lymph glands under the jaw become swollen and sore.
• Find it difficult to open your mouth.
• Suffering from a fever.

How are Wisdom Teeth Removed?

First of all, your dentist will assess your wisdom tooth and carry out an X-ray of your mouth. This gives a clearer view of the position of your teeth in order to determine if it needs to be removed.

We may request a CBCT scan, at an additional cost. This is to be completed prior to the extraction appointment to assess the full position of the tooth and its proximity to the ID nerve. This is to ensure we reduce the risk of nerve injury.

The extraction procedure will then depend on the type of impaction you have.  You might need to be referred to a specialist dental surgeon.

If the extraction is to be carried out at Larkham House you will be given local anaesthetic injections to numb the area so that you will only experience pressure during its removal.

Some procedures only take a few minutes, whereas others can take 20 minutes or longer depending on the complexity.