Wisdom teeth are 3rd molars that sometimes remain within the jaw bones due to lack of space for natural eruption.

Impacted wisdom teeth can cause

• Infection of gums above the impacted tooth
• infection within the jaws
• cyst formation
• destruction of adjacent teeth
• may be a cause of pushing all teeth forward thereby causing crowding

These impacted teeth should be removed and this procedure normally is done in my surgery under local anaesthetic. If a patient so desires it can be  arranged for this procedure to be done under general anaesthetic in a hospital.

Sometimes, in an older patient, if these impacted teeth are asymptomatic they can be left alone and monitored every 5 years by taking a panoramic x-ray.