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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

795 Reviews

5.0

21st July 2025

Treatment is for invisaligners. Work prior to, and my ongoing treatments has been excrptional. Very satisfied with results so far

18th July 2025

I trust your expertise so am relaxed when treated by you.

17th July 2025

The team are very personable, knowledgeable and always helpful with advice. It's very rare you have to wait for your appointment and most importantly the team have great expertese. I also like that they are continuing to invest in new methods, treatment practices and ideas. It's the best practice that I have been a part of, so for me they are doing a great job.

16th July 2025

It’s good to be able to combine visits to the dentist and hygienist at the same appointment. The staff are always friendly and professional here.

15th July 2025

From first contact with the Reception staff through to the welcome once I attended the clinic and the expertise and professionalism of the dentist and dental nurse, I experienced the highest standards of service and customer care. I was provided with a full explanation of my treatment plan with thorough examination and medical history taken together with time taken to ensure I fully understood the process. I had to wait a short time for the appointment but had a personal apology for the delay twice during that short time. This is a practice that upholds the highest standards of customer care and makes you feel very welcome and that you are the priority during your time at the practice.

11th July 2025

WelcomingFriendly Professional

10th July 2025

It is a profesionally run, pleasent, and forward thinking practice

9th July 2025

Staff have always been excellent. Tracey has been excellent throughout, explaining what has to be done to keep my teeth clean. Also very personable. Similarly Jason has been thorough and explains what/why he is doing during the check up. Reception are always helpful and pleasant, we both think it was the best thing we did coming to this Dental Clinic - 10+ years ago.

9th July 2025

Always an A1 service

8th July 2025

A totally professional experience, everyone was helpful and nothing appeared to be too much trouble.I cannot fault anything during my visit, even the staff seemed happy to be at work and that was clear when speaking to the staff.

6th July 2025

Just excellent all round

5th July 2025

I always get great care from Tracey and Jason - and their support team.

4th July 2025

Excellent knowledgeable staff. Very welcoming.

4th July 2025

Excellent service, friendly, all very well explained. Ben G is simply the best.

4th July 2025

This is an amazing dental surgery. Everyone I’ve met there has been friendly, welcoming and utterly professional. I trust them completely with my treatment and always have a great experience there. Fantastic team!

4th July 2025

Seen immediately, friendly service and everything explained clearly.

3rd July 2025

Everyone is extremely professional and pleasant.

DT

Deb Tennant

Friendly, professional. Thanks

2nd July 2025

Totally reassured that the best is being done to care for my dental health and hygiene - very professional and caring staff - thank you.

2nd July 2025

Always kind and polite

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