Wisdom teeth, when they are coming through (erupting) quite often give problems. When they are partially erupted, food can get stuck under the flap of skin that is around the tooth. This leads to an infection. Rinsing with hot salty water can help as it draws the infection out. Often antibiotics are necessary. Wisdom teeth do not always need to be removed, unless the bouts of infection become repetitive. Always ask your dentist for advice if wisdom teeth are causing pain.

The Government has produced National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines covering indications for removing wisdom teeth. These can be viewed here. As a summary, dentist should only remove wisdom teeth if they give repeated bouts of infection, are decayed or causing decay or you are travelling to geographic location where it would be difficult for you to receive treatment for your wisdom teeth. There is no reason to remove wisdom teeth to prevent crowding of your lower teeth.

There is a small risk, when removing lower wisdom teeth, that the nerves that supply your tongue and lower lip with sensation can be damaged. This damage results in a numb or tingling sensation which, in a few cases, can be permanent. This is why the NICE guidelines were created.