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Looking for a caring and professional dental practice? We’re excited to welcome new patients to our clinic! Whether you’re due for a check-up, need treatment, or are looking to enhance your smile, our friendly team is here to help.
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Wisdom teeth

Wisdom teeth are molars which are the last adult teeth to develop in the mouth. Most people have four wisdom teeth at the back of the mouth — 1 in each corner.

They usually start to appear in gums in late teens, early twenties, but it can also be quite common to appear later. By this time, there are already 28 adult teeth in the mouth and so the development of wisdom teeth can often be impacted by restricted space, causing problems as they grow. Wisdom teeth can sometimes emerge at an angle or get stuck and only partially emerge. Teeth that grow through like this are known as impacted.

When to see a Castle Park Dental Care dentist

Impacted wisdom teeth don't always cause symptoms. However, when an impacted wisdom tooth becomes infected, damages other teeth or causes other dental problems, you may experience some of these signs or symptoms:

Red or swollen gums
Tender or bleeding gums
Jaw pain
Swelling around the jaw
Bad breath
An unpleasant taste in your mouth
Difficulty opening your mouth

As with any teeth problems, if you are experiencing any of these symptoms it's important to book an appointment at Castle Park Dental Care to see a dentist as soon as possible, rather than waiting for routine dental health review.

What can I do to help relieve the discomfort of wisdom teeth?

A mouthwash of medium-hot water with a teaspoonful of salt will help to reduce gum soreness and inflammation. Swish the salt water around the tooth, trying to get into the areas your toothbrush cannot reach. Do this several times a day.

An antibacterial mouthwash containing chlorhexidine can also reduce the inflammation. Pain-relieving tablets such as paracetamol or ibuprofen can also be useful in the short term, but talk to us at Castle Park Dental Care if the pain continues.

Why are wisdom teeth removed?

If your wisdom teeth are impacted but not causing any problems, you don't usually need to be remove them. This is because there's no proven benefit of doing this and it carries the risk of complications.

Sometimes, wisdom teeth that have become impacted or haven't fully broken through the surface of the gum can cause dental problems. Food and bacteria can get trapped around the edge of the wisdom teeth, causing a build-up of plaque, which can lead to several problems in the mouth:

  • Damage to other teeth. If the wisdom tooth pushes against the second molar, it may damage the second molar or increase the risk of infection in that area. This pressure can also cause problems with crowding of the other teeth or require orthodontic treatment to straighten other teeth.
  • Cysts. The wisdom tooth develops in a sac within the jawbone. The sac can fill with fluid, forming a cyst that can damage the jawbone, teeth and nerves.
  • Decay. Partially impacted wisdom teeth appear to be at higher risk of tooth decay than other teeth. This probably occurs because wisdom teeth are harder to clean and because food and bacteria get easily trapped between the gum and a partially erupted tooth.
  • Gum disease. The difficulty cleaning impacted, partially erupted wisdom teeth increases the risk of developing a painful, inflammatory gum disease in that area.

Many of these problems can be treated with antibiotics, antiseptic mouthwash and a good oral hygiene regime.

Wisdom teeth removal is very common, but usually only recommended when other treatments haven't worked.

Prevention

You can't keep an impaction from occurring but keeping your regular dental appointments for cleaning and reviews enables your dentist to monitor the growth and emergence of your wisdom teeth. Regularly updated dental X-rays may indicate impacted wisdom teeth before any symptoms develop.

If you have any concerns about your wisdom teeth, or are experiencing any pain, give us a call on 01482 770597.

Patient Reviews

Why our patients love Castle Park Dental

Here's some of the recent feedback from our amazing patients

Patient reviews

589 Reviews

5.0

22nd April 2025

Professional friendly staff

19th April 2025

Andrew is a very competent dentist and is very reassuring during his treatment etc.The dental nurse and reception staff are pleasant and make you comfortable.Hygiene staff as always are excellent. Thank you.

19th April 2025

I always find Edward to be super helpful, polite and courteous.He always explains what he is going to do, before he does it which is very reassuring.

18th April 2025

Easy parking, reminders sent, toothpaste tube recycling bin, pleasant presentable staff, respectful dentist and hygienist, modern treatment technology, good long-term relationship (10 years), excellent reception staff, comfortable waiting room with free hot drinks dispenser and cold water available.

18th April 2025

All the staff are lovely, got an appointment with ease at short notice. Clinician was brilliant

17th April 2025

staff are cheerful and pleasant; explained the procedures; choice of treatments;

12th April 2025

Very efficient and friendly.

3rd April 2025

Both the Dental nurse and the hygienist were really good with me.They both listened to me.Made me feel at ease are after my last visit when the hygienist was rough and I was in pain. The hygienist was a young man this time who I would highly recommend.

2nd April 2025

good service

2nd April 2025

all the staff make you feel relaxed at castle park and during treatment ask if you are ok or if you are in pain before they carryon with any treatment .every thing is explained before hand .It is very helpful to receive a dental plan before treatment so you can under stand what is achevable and what that is going to cost .monthly offers are very helpful to make treatment more afordable

2nd April 2025

Everyone is always very helpful, courteous and supportive. Thank you

1st April 2025

I am a very nervous patient and I am always made to feel at ease when I attend the practise

1st April 2025

Very efficient and very polite staff.

27th March 2025

As a nervous patient I am always anxious but each member of staff always put me at my ease and are extremely patient and keep me informed every step of the way.

27th March 2025

Great all-round service.

26th March 2025

A highly professional practice with attention to patient care

24th March 2025

I was treated with care and courtesy and the treatment was (as far as I can tell) excellent. I was given the time needed even though I believe this exceeded the scheduled time.

24th March 2025

every one so nice and hepfull very clean andrew is so good he listen to what you want and tells you what he going to do

24th March 2025

Friendliness of staff. Fill expiration of the treatment to be carried out. Post treatment ‘housekeeping’ to ensure procedure was a success

23rd March 2025

You are treated by people who care

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