What are the NICE guidelines regarding removal of wisdom tooth?
The National Institute for clinical excellence (NICE) is an organisation consisting of experts that make recommendations to the health professional on best clinical practice. They investigated wisdom tooth management and made recommendations that we at Pearl Dental Clinic follow. NICE recommendations on wisdom teeth state: • Impacted wisdom teeth that are free from disease (healthy) should not be operated on. There are two reasons for this: • There is no reliable research to suggest that this practice benefits patients • Patients who do have healthy wisdom teeth removed are being exposed to the risks of surgery. These can include, nerve damage, damage to other teeth, infection, bleeding, and, rarely, death. Also, after surgery to remove wisdom teeth, patients may have swelling, pain and be unable to open their mouth fully. • Patients who have impacted wisdom teeth that are not causing problems should visit their dentist for their usual check-ups. • Only patients who have diseased wisdo
