When is it necessary to see a specialist for wisdom tooth extraction in Singapore?

When it comes to wisdom teeth, there are always several things to consider such as

1. Angle of the tooth - Is it impacted? What is the extent of the impaction?

2. Proximity of the wisdom tooth to the nerve and sinus space - For cases where the wisdom tooth is intertwined with the inferior alveolar nerve (this applies to LOWER wisdom teeth only) then it may be advisable to do it with an oral maxillofacial surgeon.

3. Number of roots and anatomy of the tooth - when wisdom teeth have hooked/curved or multiple roots, it creates more resistance for the tooth to be removed.

Generally, as long as you are fit and healthy with no current medical conditions such as diabetes or a bleeding disorder, a GP or specialist can be consulted for your wisdom teeth needs. For underlying medical conditions or complicated wisdom teeth such as the scenarios mentioned above, it is best to get a referral to see a specialist ie Oral Maxillofacial Surgeon.

Hope this helps and all the best!

Warm regards,

Dr Beth

Hello Z,

In Singapore, general dentists are trained to remove wisdom teeth.

You can see your general dentist to have an assessment of the position of your wisdom teeth with X-rays and determine the difficulty of removing the tooth. If your dentist feels that there may be difficulty e.g, the wisdom tooth is dangerously close to a nerve, then your dentist will refer you to an appropriate specialist. If there are no problems anticipated with your tooth, then your general dentist would be well able to remove it.

Certainly, you can see a specialist directly to remove your wisdom tooth.

Note that fees that specialists charge are generally higher than general dentists. So if your wisdom tooth is easy to remove and you see a specialist, you would be incurring higher charges than if you had your general dentist remove it.