Signs your wisdom teeth need removing
Wisdom teeth usually come through between 17 and 25. Signs one may need to come out: pain or swelling at the back of the mouth, a gum flap that gets infected (pericoronitis), food getting trapped and causing decay or gum disease, swelling in the cheek, or an abscess. Many of these are treated first with antiseptic mouthwash and antibiotics; removal comes in if they don't work.
What the aches mean, and what usually comes before a removal.
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- 17 to 25the usual ages they come through
- Mouthwashand antibiotics, often first
- X-rayshows how the tooth sits
- 38°Ctemperature: see a dentist
The signs
- Pain or swelling at the back of the mouth, on and off or constant.
- A gum flap that keeps getting infected: pericoronitis, often with a bad taste.
- Food trapped around the tooth, and decay or gum disease in it or the tooth beside it.
- Swelling in the cheek, tongue or throat: cellulitis, a bacterial infection.
- An abscess: a collection of pus around the tooth.
- Nothing at all, but your dentist sees a problem on an x-ray.
Check what your removal involves
Four quick taps. You see the likely type of removal, the likely cost, the tax relief and your recovery time. Your number is only asked for at the end, if you want an assessment.
Say one lower wisdom tooth is stuck under the gum: that's usually a surgical removal, typically €150 to €420 at Irish practices, plus €50 to €83 for the x-ray, with 20% tax relief back.
How this is worked out
The likely type of removal comes from what you tell us: a tooth that's stuck under the gum, or partly through in the lower jaw, usually needs a small cut in the gum; one that's through and easy to reach usually comes out whole. The prices are the range Irish dental practices publish for a wisdom tooth, per tooth, plus a panoramic x-ray and, if you pick it, IV sedation. Tax relief is 20% of the removal when it's a surgical extraction of an impacted wisdom tooth. The recovery times are the HSE's. It's a guide to plan with, never a diagnosis or a quote: the dentist decides after an examination and an x-ray.
What happens next
See your dentist. They examine the tooth, take an x-ray and treat any infection first, usually with antiseptic mouthwash and antibiotics. If the problems keep coming back, removal is the next step.
If the swelling spreads or you have a temperature of 38°C or more, contact a dentist straight away. The HSE's guide has more.
Questions people ask
At what age do wisdom teeth come through?
Usually between 17 and 25.
Do wisdom teeth always need to come out?
No. Many problems are treated with antiseptic mouthwash and antibiotics first. Removal comes in if they don't work.
What is pericoronitis?
An infection of the soft tissue around a wisdom tooth, often a partly-through tooth with a gum flap over it.
Check what your removal involves
Four taps to the likely type, cost and recovery, then one Dental Council registered dentist or oral surgeon who covers your county rings you.