Wisdom teeth or third molars are the last of the teeth to develop, and the teeth that are furthest back in the mouth. While healthy and properly positioned wisdom teeth can be a valuable asset to the mouth, unfortunately for many people their wisdom teeth are not so well positioned.

For example, when the jaw is not large enough to accommodate the wisdom teeth they can become impacted - growing sideways or even remaining trapped under the gum; the the teeth are unable to break through or move into their proper position. Impacted wisdom teeth can cause crowding and displacement. And even if they don't erupt they can still become decayed, and can still cause infection or gum disease in adjacent healthy teeth.

Most often the solution is to extract wisdom teeth under local anaesthetic. If necessary the extraction of wisdom teeth can be performed under sedation in our clinic or under general anaesthetic either in our clinic or at a day surgery centre. However if any problems are anticipated you will be referred to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, who specializes in oral surgery.