Wisdom teeth removal

[Rob]

Hello

I have been having trouble with both my lower wisdom teeth over the last year. Every few months, the gum around these teeth swells up and starts to hurt. The pain at times can get severe but eventually after a few days, it stops.

Do you think that I should have these wisdom teeth removed or put up with the gum swelling around them every few months.

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

When making a decision on the removal of wisdom teeth, the NICE guidelines are used in the decision making process.


NICE recommendations on wisdom teeth state:

Impacted wisdom teeth that are free from disease (healthy) should not be operated on. There are two reasons for this:

1. There is no reliable research to suggest that this practice benefits patients.

2. Patients who do have healthy wisdom teeth removed are being exposed to the risks of surgery. These can include, nerve damage, damage to other teeth, infection, bleeding, and, rarely, death. Also, after surgery to remove wisdom teeth, patients may have swelling, pain and be unable to open their mouth fully.

Patients who have impacted wisdom teeth that are not causing problems should visit their dentist for their usual check-ups.


Only patients who have diseased wisdom teeth, or other problems with their mouth, should have their wisdom teeth removed. Examples include untreatable tooth decay, abscesses, cysts or tumors, disease of the tissues around the tooth or where the tooth is in the way of other surgery.


So you need to have your wisdom tooth assessed and if the above problems exist, then it should be removed. Otherwise it should be kept clean and monitored.