Do all wisdom teeth need to be removed?

No, and removing healthy ones for no reason is poor practice. A wisdom tooth that has come through straight, bites against an opposing tooth, and can be kept clean should be left alone and monitored. Removal is for teeth causing recurring infection, decay, damage to the neighbouring molar, cysts, or pain that keeps returning.

How do I know if my wisdom tooth is infected?

The usual picture is pericoronitis: a flap of gum over a partly erupted tooth traps food and bacteria, and the area becomes swollen, sore and foul-tasting, often with difficulty opening wide. It settles and then comes back. Each episode is a reason to have it assessed. Swelling that spreads to the face or affects swallowing or breathing needs a hospital the same day, not a dental appointment.

Does wisdom tooth removal hurt?

The procedure itself is done fully numbed and should not hurt; you feel pressure and movement. Afterwards, expect discomfort and swelling that peaks around day two or three and then improves steadily. Straightforward upper wisdom teeth are often remarkably easy; deeply impacted lower ones are the ones that take a week to feel normal.

How long does recovery take?

Plan two or three quiet days for a straightforward removal and up to a week for a surgical one. Most people are back at work the next day but should avoid gym, heavy lifting and smoking. Full gum healing takes a few weeks, and the socket closes over gradually.

It is when the blood clot in the socket is lost, leaving bone exposed. The signature is pain that gets clearly worse around day three to five rather than better, often with a bad taste. Smoking, rinsing too early and sucking through a straw are the main causes. It is not an infection and it is easily treated with a dressing, so call rather than waiting it out.

Do you remove wisdom teeth here, or refer?

Both, depending on the tooth. Straightforward erupted wisdom teeth are assessed and removed at the clinic. Deeply impacted teeth, those lying close to the nerve in the lower jaw, and cases needing sedation are referred to an oral surgeon — we will show you the X-ray and explain why. Referring is not passing you around; it is the safest hands for that particular tooth.

Wisdom Teeth in Beirut — From $100

When a wisdom tooth should come out

Repeated infection around the gum flap (pericoronitis). Swelling, soreness, bad taste and trouble opening wide, which settles and returns. Two or more episodes is the usual threshold.
Decay in the wisdom tooth, or worse, decay it has caused in the molar in front. That second molar is a tooth worth protecting, and a wisdom tooth pressing against it creates a trap you cannot clean.
A cyst forming around an unerupted tooth. Uncommon, painless, and only visible on an X-ray, which is one reason the X-ray matters.
Pressure and pain that keeps returning, or a tooth biting into the cheek.
It is in the way of orthodontics or a planned denture.

When it should stay

A wisdom tooth that has erupted straight, meets an opposing tooth, is free of decay and can be brushed is a functioning molar. Leave it. A fully buried tooth with no cyst, no symptoms and no damage to its neighbour is usually monitored rather than removed, since the surgery carries more risk than the tooth does. And the old idea that wisdom teeth crowd the front teeth is not supported by the evidence, so it is not a reason on its own.

The assessment decides everything

An X-ray, usually a panoramic one, shows the angle of the tooth, how much bone covers it, the shape of the roots, and critically how close the lower tooth sits to the inferior alveolar nerve that supplies sensation to the lip and chin. That distance is the single most important factor in the whole decision. When the relationship looks close, a 3D scan may be needed, and that case belongs with an oral surgeon. You will see the image and the reasoning, not just a recommendation.

What we do here, and what we refer

Case	Where
Erupted wisdom tooth, straightforward removal	At the clinic, usually one appointment
Upper wisdom teeth, typical cases	At the clinic; these are usually the easiest
Acute infection: drainage, irrigation, pain control, a plan	At the clinic, same day if you call before 11:00 AM
Deeply impacted lower tooth, or roots close to the nerve	Referred to an oral surgeon
Anyone needing IV sedation or general anaesthetic	Referred to an oral surgeon
Medically complex patients, for example on blood thinners or bisphosphonates	Assessed here, then referred if the safest route is a hospital setting

Referring is not a brush-off. It is the difference between a routine week and a permanent numb lip, and it is exactly the standard we set out in our checklist for choosing a dentist in Beirut.

Recovery, day by day

When	What to expect, and what to do
First 24 hours	Bite on gauze for 30 minutes. No rinsing at all today — the clot is the healing. No smoking, no straws, no hot drinks, no exercise. Cold compress outside the cheek, 20 minutes on and off.
Day 2 to 3	Swelling and stiffness peak now. This is normal and not a sign of infection. Start gentle warm salt-water rinses after meals. Soft food. Keep taking painkillers to schedule rather than waiting for pain.
Day 4 to 7	Steady improvement. Pain that increases instead, with a bad taste, suggests dry socket — call us, it is quickly treated with a dressing.
Week 2	Mostly back to normal. Keep the area clean; the socket closes over the following weeks. Stitches, if used, are often dissolvable.
Call us sooner if	Swelling spreads across the face or under the jaw, you cannot swallow or open your mouth, bleeding will not stop after 30 minutes of firm pressure, or you have a fever. Difficulty breathing or swallowing means hospital, now.

Pain right now, before you can be seen

Warm salt-water rinses, careful cleaning of the area including under the gum flap with a soft brush, and over-the-counter painkillers per the packet. Never place aspirin against the gum; it burns the tissue. Antibiotics from a pharmacy will quiet an infection for a few days but will not fix the cause, and the episode returns. Full first-aid guidance is on our emergency page, and if you call before 11:00 AM, Monday to Saturday, we will almost always see you the same day.

What wisdom tooth removal costs in Lebanon

Wisdom tooth extraction starts at $100. A tooth that has come through straight and can be lifted out simply sits at the starting figure. One that is impacted under bone or angled against the tooth in front is a surgical extraction and costs more, because it takes longer and takes more skill. The X-ray at your examination tells us which yours is — before you commit to anything.

The examination itself is $20, and it is deducted from the cost of treatment if you go ahead — so if you are treated here, the examination has cost you nothing.

Wisdom teeth: out, or left alone?