Wisdom tooth removal in Cobham
Assessment and treatment for troublesome wisdom teeth.
Wisdom teeth do not always cause trouble, and symptoms do not automatically mean a tooth has to come out. We assess the area, take x-rays where they are clinically required, and explain your options — which may be monitoring, treatment here, or referral to a hospital or specialist service.
From £500
Suitability
Who this may suit
- You have pain, tenderness or throbbing around a back tooth.
- You have had repeated episodes of infection, swelling or a bad taste around a partly erupted wisdom tooth.
- Food traps behind the tooth and the area is difficult to clean, or the gum is repeatedly sore.
- Your dentist has noticed decay, gum problems or changes on an x-ray around a wisdom tooth, or has referred you for an opinion.
Why start with an assessment
Symptoms are assessed, not assumed
Pain, swelling or food trapping around a back tooth can have several causes. An examination establishes what is actually happening before any treatment is discussed.
Monitoring is a real option
Many wisdom teeth are best left alone and reviewed. Where that applies we say so, and explain what to watch for.
Clear about what we can and cannot do here
Some wisdom teeth can be removed at the practice under local anaesthetic; others are better managed in a hospital or specialist setting. We cannot promise before assessment that treatment can be completed here.
Fees
Starting price
£500
Extraction of wisdom tooth (oral surgery appointment)
Prices listed are the minimum charge for this treatment. Your own costs are confirmed in a written estimate after your assessment.
See our full fee list →Risks & considerations
Risks and important considerations
- Bleeding from the socket, and bruising or swelling of the cheek and jaw.
- Pain and stiffness, including limited mouth opening for a period after treatment.
- Infection of the socket, which may need further appointments.
- Dry socket — a painful socket where the blood clot is lost or breaks down and healing is delayed. It is more likely with smoking, vigorous rinsing and lower back teeth, and it needs to be seen and dressed.
- Nerve-related considerations: the nerves supplying the lower lip, chin and tongue can run close to lower wisdom teeth, so numbness or altered sensation or taste is possible. This is usually temporary but can occasionally be long lasting or permanent. Where imaging suggests a higher risk, referral may be advised.
- Damage to neighbouring teeth, fillings or crowns.
- Fracture of the tooth or root, and occasionally a small root fragment being left where removing it would risk more harm.
- For upper wisdom teeth, a connection with the sinus, which may need further treatment.
- Jaw joint discomfort, and rarely a jaw fracture with lower teeth.
- Your clinician will explain which risks apply to your tooth, and how likely they are, before you consent.
Frequently asked questions
No. Many wisdom teeth cause no problems and are simply kept under review. Removal is considered when there is a clinical reason for it, and that can only be decided after an examination — having symptoms does not on its own mean a wisdom tooth must come out.
They come through last, often with limited space, so they may be partly erupted or awkwardly angled. That can make the area hard to clean, leading to food trapping, gum inflammation, repeated infection, swelling, decay or pressure on the tooth in front.
Digital x-rays are the usual starting point, taken only where clinically justified, to show the position of the tooth, its roots and the structures around it. If more detailed imaging is needed than we can provide, we will arrange or refer for it and explain why.
It is removal of a tooth that cannot be taken out simply. It may involve raising the gum, sectioning the tooth and sometimes removing a small amount of bone, with stitches afterwards. It is carried out under local anaesthetic at an oral surgery appointment.
From assessment to aftercare
- 1
Wisdom-tooth assessment
We listen to your symptoms, examine the tooth, gum and how your jaws come together, and review your medical history and medication. If another dentist has referred you, we go through their information too.
- 2
X-rays where clinically required
Digital x-rays are taken when they are needed to see the position of the tooth, its roots and the bone and nearby structures around it. Imaging is only taken where it is clinically justified. If more detailed imaging than we provide is required, we arrange or refer for it and explain why.
- 3
Monitoring versus treatment
We set out what we have found and the realistic options: leaving the tooth and reviewing it, improving cleaning around it, treating it, or referral. You are told the risks and benefits of each and given a written estimate before anything is booked.
Your options
Treatment choices we may discuss
Assessment and monitoring
Examination of the tooth, gum and surrounding area, with x-rays where clinically required. Where a tooth is not causing significant problems, keeping it under review with good cleaning around it is often the right course.
Managing infection first
Where the gum around a partly erupted wisdom tooth is infected, the immediate priority is settling that — cleaning the area, advice on cleaning and salt-water rinsing, and antibiotics only when clinically indicated. Longer-term decisions follow once things have calmed down.
Simple extraction
Where a wisdom tooth is fully erupted and accessible, it may be removed in a similar way to any other tooth, under local anaesthetic.
Surgical removal
Where the tooth is partly erupted, impacted or awkwardly positioned, removal may involve raising the gum, sectioning the tooth and sometimes removing a small amount of bone, with stitches afterwards. This is carried out at an oral surgery appointment under local anaesthetic.
Hospital or specialist referral
Where a tooth is high risk, deeply positioned, close to the nerve, or where sedation or a general anaesthetic is needed, we arrange an onward referral and explain why.
Important limitations
What this treatment cannot do
- We cannot guarantee that treatment can be completed at Cobham Dental. Some wisdom teeth, particularly those deeply positioned or close to nerves, are referred to a hospital or specialist service.
- We do not provide sedation or general anaesthetic. Treatment here is carried out under local anaesthetic.
- We cannot say in advance exactly how straightforward removal will be, or how long it will take.
- Recovery varies between people and between teeth, so we do not promise a fixed number of days of swelling, discomfort or time off.
- Not every symptom around a wisdom tooth is caused by the wisdom tooth, and removal is not always the answer.
Alternatives
Other options we may discuss
Leaving the tooth and reviewing it
Many wisdom teeth are monitored rather than removed. We explain what to look out for and check the area at your routine examinations.
Improving cleaning around the tooth
Where the problem is food trapping and gum inflammation, targeted cleaning advice and hygienist support can settle symptoms without removing the tooth.
Treating the tooth rather than removing it
Occasionally a wisdom tooth with decay can be filled or root treated where it is accessible and worth keeping. Your clinician will tell you honestly whether that is realistic.
Referral for an opinion or for treatment
For higher-risk or complex teeth, or where sedation or a general anaesthetic is needed, referral to a hospital or specialist service is the appropriate route.
Technology
What we use at the practice
Digital x-rays
Digital radiographs taken in the surgery and displayed on screen so your clinician can talk you through the findings.
Frequently asked questions
Bleeding, bruising, swelling, discomfort, limited mouth opening, infection, dry socket, damage to nearby teeth, root fracture, and — for lower teeth in particular — altered sensation of the lip, chin or tongue, which is usually temporary but can rarely be permanent. Upper teeth carry a small risk of a sinus communication. Your clinician will go through the risks for your tooth.
It is a painful socket where the blood clot is lost or breaks down, so healing is delayed. Pain typically builds a few days after removal and may come with a bad taste or odour. It is more likely if you smoke or rinse vigorously early on. It is not dangerous, but it needs to be seen so the socket can be cleaned and dressed.
It varies with the tooth, the person and how straightforward removal was, so we do not give a fixed timescale. Discomfort and swelling are usually most noticeable in the first few days and then improve. Your clinician will give you an expectation for your case and written aftercare advice.
Yes. We accept referrals from other practices for wisdom-tooth assessment and removal. Please use our referral page — our team will contact the patient to arrange an appointment and keep you updated. Where a case is better managed in hospital, we will say so.
Assessment is charged at the examination fee published on our Plan & Fees page, which includes any x-rays that are clinically necessary. If treatment is recommended, you receive a written estimate before anything goes ahead.
Concerns this may help with
What patients come to us about
Related treatments
You may also want to read
- Oral surgeryAssessment, imaging and surgical or complex tooth removal under local anaesthetic.
- ExtractionsCareful removal, including wisdom teeth, with clinicians experienced in oral surgery.
- Emergency dentistUrgent assessment for dental pain, swelling, broken teeth and lost restorations.
- Dental examinationThorough check-ups including x-rays and screening.
For referring practices
Referring a patient to us
We welcome referrals from colleagues. Send your referral details and we will keep you updated on your patient's care.
Refer a patient →Not ready to book?
Our treatment coordinators can talk you through the options and costs with no obligation, or arrange a callback at a time that suits you.
Troubled by a wisdom tooth?
Book directly into our diaries online, or ask us a question first — we're happy to help.