This depends on the operation; your surgeon will have discussed any specific issues of concern with you beforehand. There may be swelling and bruising in the area of surgery and this can limit jaw opening. This is usually at its most obvious two to three days after surgery and varies between patients; it normally settles after one to two weeks.

All lower wisdom teeth are situated close to nerves supplying the lower teeth, lip, chin, cheek and tongue but some are especially close. In these cases, the nerves can get bruised when the tooth is removed, resulting in a sensation of numbness, discomfort or tingling in these areas. This change in sensation only affects a small proportion of patients and is usually temporary. It can take up to six months to fully resolve and only very rarely becomes permanent. We will discuss these issues with you during your consultation.

If appropriate, we may recommend a specialised CT scan that provides a three-dimensional image of the area to further assess this potential proximity between your wisdom tooth and the adjacent nerve. In this case, a written report of the scan’s findings would be provided and a further consultation appointment arranged to discuss the findings before deciding on surgery.