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Looking for a caring and professional dental practice? We’re excited to welcome new patients to our clinic! Whether you’re due for a check-up, need treatment, or are looking to enhance your smile, our friendly team is here to help.
Contact us today to book your first appointment—we look forward to meeting you!

Wisdom teeth

Wisdom teeth are molars which are the last adult teeth to develop in the mouth. Most people have four wisdom teeth at the back of the mouth — 1 in each corner.

They usually start to appear in gums in late teens, early twenties, but it can also be quite common to appear later. By this time, there are already 28 adult teeth in the mouth and so the development of wisdom teeth can often be impacted by restricted space, causing problems as they grow. Wisdom teeth can sometimes emerge at an angle or get stuck and only partially emerge. Teeth that grow through like this are known as impacted.

When to see a The Mayhill Dental and Specialist Centre dentist

Impacted wisdom teeth don't always cause symptoms. However, when an impacted wisdom tooth becomes infected, damages other teeth or causes other dental problems, you may experience some of these signs or symptoms:

Red or swollen gums
Tender or bleeding gums
Jaw pain
Swelling around the jaw
Bad breath
An unpleasant taste in your mouth
Difficulty opening your mouth

As with any teeth problems, if you are experiencing any of these symptoms it's important to book an appointment at The Mayhill Dental and Specialist Centre to see a dentist as soon as possible, rather than waiting for routine dental health review.

What can I do to help relieve the discomfort of wisdom teeth?

A mouthwash of medium-hot water with a teaspoonful of salt will help to reduce gum soreness and inflammation. Swish the salt water around the tooth, trying to get into the areas your toothbrush cannot reach. Do this several times a day.

An antibacterial mouthwash containing chlorhexidine can also reduce the inflammation. Pain-relieving tablets such as paracetamol or ibuprofen can also be useful in the short term, but talk to us at The Mayhill Dental and Specialist Centre if the pain continues.

Why are wisdom teeth removed?

If your wisdom teeth are impacted but not causing any problems, you don't usually need to be remove them. 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, causing a build-up of plaque, which can lead to several problems in the mouth:

  • Damage to other teeth. If the wisdom tooth pushes against the second molar, it may damage the second molar or increase the risk of infection in that area. This pressure can also cause problems with crowding of the other teeth or require orthodontic treatment to straighten other teeth.
  • Cysts. The wisdom tooth develops in a sac within the jawbone. The sac can fill with fluid, forming a cyst that can damage the jawbone, teeth and nerves.
  • Decay. Partially impacted wisdom teeth appear to be at higher risk of tooth decay than other teeth. This probably occurs because wisdom teeth are harder to clean and because food and bacteria get easily trapped between the gum and a partially erupted tooth.
  • Gum disease. The difficulty cleaning impacted, partially erupted wisdom teeth increases the risk of developing a painful, inflammatory gum disease in that area.

Many of these problems can be treated with antibiotics, antiseptic mouthwash and a good oral hygiene regime.

Wisdom teeth removal is very common, but usually only recommended when other treatments haven't worked.

How are wisdom teeth removed?

If your The Mayhill Dental and Specialist Centre dentist recommends removing your wisdom teeth, they'll take an X-ray of your mouth to help them determine who should carry out the procedure. Your dentist may remove your wisdom teeth, or they may refer you to a specialist surgeon for hospital treatment.

Before the operation, we’ll fully explain the procedure to you.

A local anaesthetic injection is usually given to numb the area around the tooth. You'll feel some pressure just before the tooth is removed, as your dentist or oral surgeon needs to widen the tooth socket by rocking the tooth back and forth.

A small cut in the gum is sometimes necessary, and the tooth may need to be cut into smaller pieces before it's removed.

It takes anything from a few minutes to 20 minutes, or sometimes even longer, to remove a wisdom tooth.

After your wisdom teeth have been removed, you may have swelling and discomfort, both inside and outside your mouth. Occasionally, some mild bruising is also visible. This is usually improves after 3 days, but it can take up to 2 weeks. If this continues for longer, or progresses, please get in touch with the team at The Mayhill Dental and Specialist Centre as soon as possible.

Prevention

You can't keep an impaction from occurring but keeping your regular dental appointments for cleaning and reviews enables your dentist to monitor the growth and emergence of your wisdom teeth. Regularly updated dental X-rays may indicate impacted wisdom teeth before any symptoms develop.

If you have any concerns about your wisdom teeth, or are experiencing any pain, give us a call on 01600 712020 .

Patient Reviews

People are talking about us

The biggest complement we receive is when our patients refer their friends and family to The Mayhill Dental and Specialist Centre. In fact, we have built much of our practice on these valued, trusted recommendations over the years. Read our reviews to hear why our patients are recommending us…

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Patient reviews

861 Reviews

5.0

21st September 2025

The staff are very professional and extremely kind and patient with a very nervous mother.

19th September 2025

Reception team, Ben and his nurse are all excellent

19th September 2025

All staff friendly and polite.

19th September 2025

Dr Jason Hart

19th September 2025

Staff is really nice and attentive. Overall all treatment works and my teeth are in good condition

18th September 2025

Very professional practice, the whole team from reception staff and dental nurses to hygienist and dentist/orthodontist.

18th September 2025

Always brilliant service and Jason is a excellent dentist who has always shown compassion and kindness.

18th September 2025

I feel confident in the treatment I received. The technology in the practice is excellent.All staff are friendly, welcoming and efficient. Katherine, the hygienist, is excellent. She explains everything she does and offers great advice.Jason, my dentist is lovely. He is very friendly. He listens to any issues I have and is proficient in sorting things out.

18th September 2025

As a dental assistant should be

17th September 2025

I now get very anxious going to the dentist, due to having a bad experience when younger. Mayhill dentist was recommended by my daughter. Everyone was very professional and put me at ease. The dentist explained everything that was happening together with the nurse they made me feel comfortable and more relaxed during my treatment.

17th September 2025

Ben is very thorough, kind, patient. He makes you feel at ease. He doesn’t rush through the appointment. The surgery is immaculate, reception always makes you feel welcome. 10/10 for everything.

16th September 2025

Thoroughness of treatment with staff having clear awareness of my dental history and ongoing needs. Clarity of information about treatment and courtesy of staff throughout.

OL

Oliver Leedam

I received a very good prompt service, at a reasonable price.

12th September 2025

Jason is a superb and is kind and I trust him and that combination is amazing best dentist and I have experienced quite a few at 77 years old and teeth suffered because of dentist treatment towards me.

10th September 2025

All the staff are excellent. I saw Ryan Lello and he was superb, so calm and gentle, he made the whole experience very pleasant and put me at ease

9th September 2025

The caring and professionalism shown by every team member makes Mayhill a wonderful practice. I began treatment here as a highly nervous patient, now I consider going to the dentist a form of self-care rather than an ordeal. The support has been amazing. I can't speak highly enough of them.

8th September 2025

For my hygiene apt the nurse used the new machine which was far less traumatic than the usual manual scale and polish. I even booked another session in between my next scheduled 6 month check up. I know I need to floss but find this traumatic and appre intend the gentle way the hygienist broached this.

8th September 2025

Great team - dentist, nurse & reception

6th September 2025

Everyone was helpful & it all ran on time.

5th September 2025

Not sure what you mean

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