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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 Titchfield Dental Health 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 Titchfield Dental Health 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 Titchfield Dental Health 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 Titchfield Dental Health 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 Titchfield Dental Health 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 01489 581158.

Patient Reviews

People are talking about us

The biggest complement we receive is when our patients refer their friends and family to Titchfield Dental Health. 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…

Patient reviews

861 Reviews

5.0
TD

Teresa Davies

I’ve been a client for many years and always very happy with the care given on each visit.

14th October 2025

Very friendly , helpful staff . Hygienist explained the treatment before she started , time allowed to ask any questions , no hurry felt

11th October 2025

Extremely friendly welcome by the team

9th October 2025

Appointment was with the hygienist. On time. Lovely lady, takes great care and she’s skilled and competent at her job. Everyone at Titchfield is caring and excellent at their jobs. Highly recommend.

9th October 2025

Highly competent, always kind and helpful, never had a problem,

9th October 2025

Staff are so kind and understanding

9th October 2025

Friendly, welcoming and professional dental practice. I wouldn't want to go anywhere else.

9th October 2025

Really friendly helpful staff. Good communication and engagement with me as the patient

9th October 2025

All the staff at the surgery are so friendly and helpful. There is always laughter somewhere in the surgery which lightens the atmosphere, let's be honest, not many people enjoy the dental experience, but Titchfield make it so much easier.The reception area is clean and comfortable and treatment rooms light and clean.

7th October 2025

Friendly atmosphere, engaging staff and highly professional

7th October 2025

The staff, everyone is very friendly and you never feel like a number.

GJ

G Johnson

A highly professional team and personnel experience to make you feel welcome and looked after by their dentists and colleagues I will continue to use this dentist moving forward in the future Many thanks

3rd October 2025

My needs were very well understood and in a very professional way several solutions/options were explained in a very straight forward way that I understood

3rd October 2025

Kind and thorough treatment

3rd October 2025

Always helpful & knowledgeable- I like that they suggest options but never push you to have any treatment you don’t want or can afford. Love the cleanliness of the practice & welcoming of reception staff

27th September 2025

I just think my dentist RIck is fantastic

26th September 2025

My hygienist is always friendly, knows me and I feel comfortable knowing Im in capable hands

25th September 2025

Friendly and very efficient service.

25th September 2025

Friendly competent staff in all departments

24th September 2025

Managed to get an appointment the next day, even though it wasn't an emergency. Friendly staff all around. very quick turnaround on making the new retainer - it was ready hours later!

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