Oral Surgery · Tower Dental Blackpool

Wisdom Tooth
Pain

Wisdom tooth pain is common in your late teens and twenties as the teeth try to emerge. If it is severe, recurring, or accompanied by swelling, you need an assessment. Call us.

Emergency from £71. Extraction from £133.

Why wisdom teeth cause problems

Most people do not have enough space in their jaw for wisdom teeth to emerge properly. When a wisdom tooth is partially erupted (impacted), the gum flap covering it traps food and bacteria — causing pericoronitis, a painful infection of the surrounding gum tissue. Symptoms include pain at the back of the mouth, difficulty opening your jaw, swelling, and sometimes a bad taste.

Not all wisdom teeth need removing. If they emerge fully and align properly, they function like any other tooth. Extraction is recommended when the tooth is impacted, repeatedly infected, decayed, or damaging the adjacent tooth. Your dentist will take an X-ray to assess the position and recommend the appropriate course of action.

Treatment

For acute pain from pericoronitis, we provide same-day relief: cleaning the area, irrigation, antibiotics if needed, and pain management advice. This resolves the immediate infection but does not prevent recurrence if the tooth remains impacted.

If extraction is recommended, it is performed under local anaesthetic. Simple extractions take 10–20 minutes. Surgical extractions (for impacted teeth) take longer and may involve a small incision. Recovery is 3–5 days with painkillers. Most patients return to normal activities within 2 days.

When to call us

Call if the pain is severe, you cannot open your mouth fully, there is visible swelling, or you have a fever. These indicate active infection that needs same-day treatment. Mild, intermittent aching can be assessed at a routine appointment.