Wisdom Teeth Removal

The teeth that arrive last, and often don’t fit

Wisdom teeth usually appear between 17 and 25. Some sit perfectly well. Others come in sideways, half-buried, or trap food where no brush can reach.

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When It’s Needed

Signs yours may need removing

Aching or pressure at the very back of the jaw, often worse in the evening
Swollen, red gum over a partly erupted tooth — sometimes with a bad taste
Repeated infections around the same back tooth (pericoronitis)
Difficulty opening your mouth fully, or pain on swallowing
Food constantly packing behind the second molar
Decay in the wisdom tooth or, worse, in the healthy tooth in front of it
A cyst or bone change spotted on an X-ray, even without symptoms

At The Appointment

What actually happens

01/

Assessment & 3D scan

An examination plus imaging — often a 3D CBCT scan here in the practice — to see root shape and exactly where the nerve and sinus lie. This is what makes the surgery predictable.

02/

Numbing

Thorough local anaesthetic. We wait, test the area, and only begin when you’re properly numb. Tell us if you feel anything sharp.

03/

Removal

A small gum incision if the tooth is buried, sometimes dividing the tooth to remove it in pieces through a smaller opening. Expect pressure and noise, not pain. Usually 20 to 45 minutes per tooth.

04/

Closing up

Dissolvable stitches where needed, gauze pressure, then written aftercare and a follow-up arranged.

Afterwards

Recovery & aftercare

Bite on gauze for at least 30 minutes; expect some oozing for the first day.
Cold pack on the cheek, 20 minutes on and 20 off, for the first 24 hours.
Nothing to dislodge the clot for 24 hours — no rinsing, spitting, straws or smoking.
Swelling peaks at day two or three and stiffness in the jaw is normal; it eases from there.
Soft, cool food at first. Keep hydrated but skip hot drinks on day one.
Warm salt-water rinses from day two, gently, several times a day.
Most people take two or three days off; bruising can take a week or more to fade.
Call us for bleeding that won’t settle, worsening pain after day three, fever, or difficulty swallowing.

Recovery room at Tooth n Care after wisdom teeth removal

Alternatives We’d Also Discuss

Other ways to go

Monitoring instead

If a wisdom tooth is healthy, cleanable and causing no problems, leaving it alone and watching with periodic X-rays is often the right call. We don’t remove teeth just because they’re there.

Treating the gum flap

For a partly erupted tooth causing recurring gum infections, cleaning under the flap and improving access sometimes settles it, though the problem often returns.

Referral to a specialist

Deeply impacted teeth wrapped around the nerve are sometimes better handled by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, or under general anaesthetic. We’ll refer when that’s the safer path.

Risks & Considerations

The honest downsides

No treatment is risk-free, and you should hear this before you decide rather than afterwards.

Dry socket is more common after wisdom tooth removal than routine extractions, particularly in smokers.
Lower wisdom teeth sit close to the inferior alveolar nerve. Temporary numbness of the lip, chin or tongue occurs in a small number of cases, and rarely it can be long-lasting. The 3D scan exists precisely to assess this risk beforehand.
Upper wisdom teeth sit close to the sinus, and a small communication can occasionally occur.
Swelling, bruising and limited jaw opening for several days are expected rather than complications.
Infection is possible and may require antibiotics.
Removing all four at once means one recovery but a harder few days; splitting into two visits is gentler but doubles the disruption. Your call, with our advice.
Wisdom teeth removal is easier and heals faster at 18 than at 40. If yours are likely to cause trouble, earlier is generally kinder.

Cost & health funds

Cost depends on how impacted each tooth is — a straightforward erupted tooth is much simpler than a fully buried one, and the scan tells us which you have. Health funds usually rebate on surgical extractions, and larger cases can be spread through an interest-free payment plan.

Fees & payment plans →

Get a written plan

Before anything starts you’ll have a written treatment plan with costs, inclusions and any conditions spelled out, plus an estimate of your health fund rebate checked at the desk.

Book an assessment →

This information is general in nature and is not a substitute for personalised advice from a registered dental practitioner. Any dental or surgical procedure carries risks. Individual results vary. Before proceeding with treatment we encourage you to ask questions and, if you wish, seek a second opinion from a qualified health practitioner.