Wisdom teeth · Widney Dental, Knowle
Wisdom tooth pain, and what to do about it.
A wisdom tooth that aches, or a gum that has swollen behind your last molar, usually means the tooth is coming through with no room, or trapping food under a flap of gum. Here is what helps tonight, when it is urgent, and what Widney Dental does about it: on the NHS when removal is clinically needed, or privately at £200 – £250, with sedation if you want it.
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In short
Will it go away on its own?
A mild bout often settles in a few days if the area is kept clean: warm salt-water rinses, a soft brush right to the back, and paracetamol or ibuprofen as the packet says. It tends to come back, though, while the tooth is half through, because the flap of gum over it keeps trapping food. Pain that lasts more than two or three days, a swollen cheek, a bad taste, a fever, or trouble opening your mouth means the gum is infected and a dentist needs to see it.
What helps, and what is urgent
Tonight, and when to ring.
Most wisdom tooth pain is inflammation of the gum around a tooth that has not fully come through. Here is what eases it at home, and the signs that it has gone past that.
What helps at home
- Salt-water rinses, a teaspoon in a glass of warm water, several times a day and after eating, held over the tooth.
- Clean it, do not avoid it. A soft brush, or a single-tuft brush, right to the back to lift the food out from under the gum.
- Painkillers as the packet says: ibuprofen, paracetamol, or both alternated, taken regularly rather than when it peaks.
- A cold compress on the cheek for a swollen jaw, twenty minutes at a time.
- Soft food on the other side, and no poking at it with a fingernail or a toothpick.
Ring us the same day
- Pain that is not easing after two or three days of the above, or that wakes you.
- A swollen cheek or jaw, swollen glands under the jaw, or a fever: the infection has spread beyond the gum.
- A bad taste or pus from behind the tooth.
- Trouble opening your mouth or swallowing. If swallowing or breathing is affected, or the swelling is closing an eye, that is A&E or 999, not us.
- The tooth growing into your cheek, biting it each time you close: it needs looking at, and usually removing.
How it runs
The appointment, the decision, and the removal.
- 1
The appointment
Call 01564 773080 early in the day and say it is a wisdom tooth. NHS patients pay the urgent Band 1 charge; privately it is the examination fee plus whatever is done.
- 2
The look and the x-ray
The gum is examined and a large x-ray taken, which shows the tooth’s roots, the angle it is lying at, and how close it sits to the nerve in the lower jaw.
- 3
Settling the infection
The gum flap is cleaned out underneath and the area irrigated. Antibiotics are added only when the infection has spread; for a local one they do little on their own.
- 4
The decision
Removal is advised when the tooth keeps getting infected, is decayed beyond filling, is damaging the tooth in front, or has a cyst around it. A tooth that has caused one mild bout is often watched instead.
- 5
The removal
Under local anaesthetic, with intravenous sedation available at £175 a session. A deeply impacted lower tooth close to the nerve may be referred to the hospital oral surgery service instead.
What removal is like
Numb throughout, sore for a few days.
The tooth is anaesthetised completely, so you feel pushing and pressure but not pain; an upper wisdom tooth is often out in minutes, a lower one takes longer and may need the gum lifted and the tooth divided. For anyone who dreads it, intravenous sedation means you are drowsy and remember little, given by Dr Mohammed Binamin, who holds a diploma in conscious sedation and works in oral and maxillofacial surgery at Solihull Hospital.
Afterwards, the second and third days are usually the sorest, with some swelling and stiffness, and then it eases day by day: painkillers as the packet says, soft food, gentle salt-water rinses from the day after, no smoking, and no rinsing hard on the first day, because the clot in the socket is what heals it. If the pain gets worse after day three rather than better, ring: that can be a dry socket, and a dressing settles it quickly.
What it costs
On the NHS, or privately.
Widney Dental treats NHS and private patients. On the NHS, a wisdom tooth is removed when it is clinically necessary, as a Band 2 course of treatment; the NHS does not remove wisdom teeth simply because they are there, and has not since NICE’s guidance of 2000. Privately, a wisdom tooth removal is £200 – £250 depending on the tooth, with no waiting list and sedation available. Under-18s, pregnant women and new mothers, and people on certain benefits pay nothing on the NHS.
NHS figures are England’s band charges as nhs.uk publishes them; private figures are Widney Dental’s fee guide. One band charge covers the whole course of treatment.
Three routes
NHS here, private here, or the hospital.
The same tooth can be taken out three ways. Which one you take depends on how the tooth is lying, whether you are an NHS patient here, and how soon you want it done.
| For | Wait | Cost | Sedation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NHS, at Widney Dental | NHS patients whose tooth meets the NICE criteria and can be removed in the practice | An NHS appointment here; the urgent visit first | £76.60 for the course, or free if you are exempt | Local anaesthetic |
| Private, at Widney Dental | Anyone; a tooth that can be removed in the practice | Booked straight away | £200 – £250, plus £175 if you choose sedation | Intravenous sedation available |
| Hospital oral surgery | Deeply impacted teeth, or roots wrapped round the nerve, referred by us | The hospital’s waiting list, often months | Free on the NHS | Sedation or a general anaesthetic, as the hospital decides |
Dr Binamin works in the oral and maxillofacial surgery department at Solihull Hospital as well as here, so the teeth that would once have been referred are often taken out in the practice.
Who does it
Oral surgery, in house.
Wisdom teeth here are removed by dentists whose work is oral surgery: Dr Mohammed Binamin, who leads the practice, holds a master’s degree in dental implantology and a diploma in conscious sedation, and is a senior specialty doctor in oral and maxillofacial surgery at Solihull Hospital; Dr Amelia Reed, twelve years alongside the maxillofacial teams at the Queen Elizabeth and Solihull hospitals; and Dr Hayley Freedman, restorative dentistry and oral surgery. All are on the General Dental Council register.
- Dr Mohammed BinaminPrincipal dental surgeon · oral surgery, sedation, implantsGDC 71019
- Dr Amelia ReedAssociate dentist · oral surgery, sedation and implantsGDC 194478
- Dr Hayley FreedmanAssociate dentist · restorative dentistry and oral surgeryGDC 252053
What patients say
In their own words.
Great support for nervous patients★★★★★I have recently completed treatment for an implant at Widney Dental Care and although nervous at first and some initial discomfort at the beginning the whole process has been managed efficiently and professionally at all times. The care and attention to detail is second to none and the support during and after the treatment is reassuring. I am delighted with my implant.
For the whole family★★★★★My family and I have been receiving treatment at Widney Dental Care for a number of years. I am grateful for the level of care I have received at this practice.
Quality care worth travelling for★★★★★I find this a first-rate practice in every respect. Efficiently run including first-class patient care and treatment. Having moved out of the area several years ago and having full confidence in my dental care and treatment I still remain a patient being more than happy to travel some distance for my dental care.
Google review★★★★★Adam takes great pride in his work, treating the fillings like a work of art.
Questions
Asked on the phone.
Can wisdom tooth pain go away on its own?
A mild bout often does, within a few days, if the area is kept clean with salt-water rinses and a soft brush. It usually comes back while the tooth is half through, because the flap of gum over it keeps trapping food. If it lasts more than two or three days or your cheek swells, see a dentist.
How do I relieve wisdom tooth pain?
Warm salt-water rinses several times a day, a soft brush to lift food from under the gum, ibuprofen or paracetamol as the packet says, and a cold compress on a swollen cheek. Numbing gels help for an hour. None of that treats the cause, so if it is not easing, ring.
How do I know it is the wisdom tooth?
The pain is right at the back, behind your last big tooth, often with a swollen or sore gum there, a bad taste, or stiffness opening your mouth. A tooth you can feel or see partly through the gum is the usual sign. An x-ray settles it, because a decayed molar in front can feel the same.
How do I know if a wisdom tooth is infected, and is it an emergency?
An infected gum around a wisdom tooth is swollen and red, tastes bad, and often makes it hard to open wide; a spreading infection adds a swollen cheek, swollen glands and a fever. Ring us the same day for any of those. If swallowing or breathing is affected, or the swelling is closing an eye, go to A&E or call 999.
How long can I go with an infected wisdom tooth?
Not long by choice. A gum infection around a wisdom tooth can spread into the cheek and the neck within days, and each bout scars the gum a little more. Two or three days of home care for a mild flare is reasonable; beyond that, it needs cleaning out by a dentist.
Does the NHS remove wisdom teeth for free?
The NHS removes a wisdom tooth when it is clinically necessary, which since NICE’s guidance of 2000 means repeated infections, decay, damage to the tooth in front or a cyst, not simply because it is there. It is a Band 2 course of treatment at £76.60, and free if you are exempt from NHS charges: under 18, pregnant or a new mother, or on certain benefits.
How much is wisdom tooth removal privately?
£200 – £250 at Widney Dental, depending on how the tooth is lying, with intravenous sedation at £175 a session if you want it. The examination and x-ray beforehand are priced in the fee guide, and you are told the figure for your tooth before anything is done.
How long is the NHS waiting list for wisdom tooth removal?
For a tooth that can be taken out in the practice, it is the wait for an NHS appointment here. For a deeply impacted tooth referred to hospital oral surgery, waits of several months are common. Privately, removal here is booked straight away.
Is 30 too old to have wisdom teeth removed?
No. There is no upper age; wisdom teeth are removed at any age when they cause trouble. What changes with age is that the roots are fully formed and the bone denser, so the removal can be a little more involved and healing a little slower, which is one reason a troublesome tooth is better dealt with than endured.
How painful is the removal, and which day is worst?
The removal itself is done numb, so you feel pressure, not pain. Afterwards the second and third days are usually the sorest, with swelling that then goes down day by day. Painkillers as the packet says cover most people; pain that worsens after day three is worth a call, because a dry socket is easily dressed.
What is the cheapest way to get a wisdom tooth removed?
The NHS, if you are an NHS patient and the tooth meets the criteria: £76.60 for the course, or nothing if you are exempt. Privately, a straightforward removal here is at the lower end of £200 – £250. Leaving an infected tooth is the expensive route, in emergency visits and in the tooth in front.
Where are you, and when are you open?
76 Widney Road, Knowle, Solihull B93 9AW. Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 6pm, Friday 8.30am to 5pm. Call 01564 773080, or request a call-back.
Aching at the back? Ring.
Seen in practice hours, the infection settled, and the tooth removed here when it needs to be: on the NHS when it is clinically necessary, or privately at £200 – £250.
Knowle, Solihull
B93 9AW
Friday 8.30am to 5pm