Wisdom tooth extraction

A wisdom tooth is the furthest back molar and the last one to come in. The number of them and the direction they come in differ from person to person, and some people never get them. When one stays buried in the gum or comes in lying sideways, it is called an impacted wisdom tooth.

Whether it should come out or can be left and watched depends on how it has come in, and on what it is doing to the teeth and gums around it. The same wisdom tooth can call for different things in different people, so the decision is made after imaging.

• When extraction is considered

  • When the gum around the wisdom tooth swells and hurts again and again
  • When a toothbrush cannot reach it and a cavity has formed on the wisdom tooth or the molar in front of it
  • When it lies sideways and pushes the molar in front, or food keeps getting caught between them
  • When bad breath keeps coming from the wisdom tooth area

• When it is watched and managed instead

  • When it has come in straight, meets the tooth above or below it properly and is being used for chewing
  • When brushing keeps it clean and there are no symptoms
  • When it is completely buried in the jawbone and nothing around it is changing
  • When general health or current medication means the timing of extraction has to be adjusted

When this keeps happening, extraction is often considered less for the wisdom tooth itself than to protect the molar in front of it. If that molar develops a cavity, treatment can widen, step by step, to a composite filling, an inlay, root canal treatment or a crown.

On the other hand, having no symptoms does not mean it will stay that way. Imaging at regular intervals to see whether anything has changed is the condition attached to choosing to watch and wait.

• 01

  Panoramic X-ray

  Captures the whole upper and lower jaw in one image to check the number, direction and depth of the wisdom teeth.

• 02

  Three-dimensional imaging (CT)

  Where needed, a dental CT shows the distance to the nerve and the shape of the roots in three dimensions.

• 03

  The neighboring teeth

  We also look at whether a cavity or a gum problem has already started on the molar in front.

• 04

  General health

  If you are on medication or have a systemic condition, we discuss the timing and the method together with you.

The dental X-ray unit D-day Dental Clinic uses is Vatech's dental computed tomography X-ray unit, the CT ‘SmartPlus’. A single scan produces both CT and panoramic images. We go through the findings with you using 3D simulations, intraoral scanner images, models and photographs.

How difficult a wisdom tooth extraction is can vary a great deal with the position and direction of the tooth. When it is deeply impacted or close to the nerve it can take longer, and depending on the situation it may be judged that treatment at a higher-level medical institution is needed. D-day Dental Clinic works within a collaborative care arrangement with oral and maxillofacial surgery.

After an extraction there can be bleeding, swelling and pain, and how quickly you recover differs from person to person. Whether an extraction is needed, how it is done and when, all follow from the findings and from your own situation.

Both directors of D-day Dental Clinic are board-certified specialists in Integrated Dentistry certified by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and both hold a master's degree in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from Korea University.

• Health Column — When it is hard to tell whether a wisdom tooth should come out (Korean)
• Cavity treatment (Korean)
• Periodontal (gum) treatment (Korean)
• Dental glossary — panoramic X-ray · 3D CT · cavities (Korean)

Please note · This page is general information to help you understand what happens during treatment. It does not replace a diagnosis or a prescription. Treatment costs are explained after examination and consultation.