Dental health and wisdom teeth

What are potential complications of wisdom tooth removal?

Two of the more important complications after having your wisdom teeth removed include:

• Dry socket. Dry socket is a common complication that occurs when either a blood clot has failed to form in the extracted tooth socket or else the blood clot that did form has been dislodged. Without clot formation, healing will be delayed. When it happens, dry socket typically occurs 3 or 4 days following the extraction and is accompanied by pain, ranging from "dull" to moderate to severe, and a foul mouth odour. Your dentist or oral surgeon will treat the dry socket by placing medication in the socket.
• Paresthesia. Paresthesia means numbness and is a less frequently occurring complication. Wisdom teeth entrapped in the jawbone are often close to nerves. Sometimes these nerves can be bruised or damaged during the tooth removal process. The result is a numbness of the tongue, lip or chin that can last a few days, weeks, months or may even be permanent.

How much does wisdom teeth extraction cost?

The cost of the extraction of a wisdom tooth varies considerably, as it depends on a series of factors like the difficulty of the procedure, whether it’s being carried out in a dental surgery or hospital and whether your dentist is NHS or private. Private prices start from around £179 per tooth and NHS prices are considerably less. It is always recommended that you get a written estimate before starting treatment and, if you have private health care, to check with your provider whether the extraction costs are covered by your plan.