See someone urgently if
- Swelling that makes it difficult to open your mouth more than a couple of centimetres
- Difficulty swallowing or a swelling spreading into the neck
- Fever with jaw swelling
- Numbness of the lip or chin
Otherwise, book in the normal way. Call +91 83036 12717.
What causes it
Pericoronitis, the usual culprit
When a wisdom tooth comes through only partly, a flap of gum overlaps it. Food and bacteria collect underneath, in a space a toothbrush physically cannot reach, and the gum becomes infected. It flares, settles with rinsing or antibiotics, and flares again, because the anatomical trap has not changed.
Impaction against the tooth in front
A wisdom tooth angled forward presses into the second molar. This causes pressure pain and, more seriously, creates a spot on the second molar that cannot be cleaned, where decay develops on an otherwise healthy and much more valuable tooth.
Decay in the wisdom tooth itself
Wisdom teeth sit at the very back and are poorly cleaned even when fully erupted. Decay there is common and, given the access, often not worth filling.
A cyst around an unerupted tooth
Uncommon but a real reason to keep buried wisdom teeth under periodic X-ray review. A cyst expands slowly and painlessly and can destroy a significant amount of jawbone before it produces any symptom.
Biting the cheek
An upper wisdom tooth with nothing below it to bite against over-erupts and starts traumatising the cheek. It is a nuisance rather than a danger, but it does not improve on its own.
What helps before you are seen
Rinse under the gum flap
Warm salt water, held and swished vigorously around the area, several times a day. A syringe of chlorhexidine directed under the flap does more, and is worth asking about at the appointment.
Keep the area clean despite the soreness
A small interdental or single-tuft brush reaches further back than a normal toothbrush. Avoiding the area because it hurts is what lets the flare continue.
Painkillers on schedule
Ibuprofen where you tolerate it, taken regularly rather than reactively, controls both pain and swelling better than intermittent dosing.
Soft diet on the other side
Reduces the trauma to an already inflamed gum flap and gives it a chance to settle.
How it is treated
X-ray to see what you are dealing with
An OPG shows the angle of the tooth, its root shape, and how close the roots sit to the inferior alveolar nerve. Where the relationship looks close, a CBCT is taken, because that changes the surgical approach and the risk discussion.
Settle the infection first if it is acute
Removing a tooth in the middle of an acute flare is more difficult, more painful, and anaesthetic works less predictably in infected tissue. Irrigation, cleaning under the flap and sometimes antibiotics come first.
Removal
An erupted upper wisdom tooth is often straightforward, at ₹1,000 to ₹3,000 in Lucknow. A surgically impacted lower one costs ₹3,000 to ₹8,000, and a complex impaction lying against the nerve ₹6,000 to ₹12,000 plus the scan.
Leaving it alone, where that is right
A wisdom tooth that is fully erupted, biting against an opposing tooth, cleanable and free of decay does not need removing. Blanket removal of all four is no longer standard practice. The case for removal has to be specific to that tooth.
Recovery
Swelling peaks at 48 to 72 hours and settles over about a week. Sutures, where used, come out at roughly seven days. Expect two to three days of meaningful discomfort after a surgical extraction.
Wisdom tooth pain: common questions
Do all wisdom teeth need to be removed?
No. A wisdom tooth that is fully erupted, cleanable, decay-free and biting properly against an opposing tooth should be left alone. Removal is indicated for recurrent infection, decay in the tooth or the one in front of it, impaction causing damage, or an associated cyst.
How much does wisdom tooth removal cost in Lucknow?
An erupted wisdom tooth costs ₹1,000 to ₹3,000 to remove. A surgically impacted lower one costs ₹3,000 to ₹8,000, and a complex impaction near the nerve ₹6,000 to ₹12,000, plus ₹1,500 to ₹3,500 for the CBCT needed to plan it.
How long does it take to recover from wisdom tooth removal?
Swelling peaks at two to three days and settles over roughly a week. Most people take two to three days off normal routine after a surgical extraction. The socket bone fills in over about three months, though you will not notice that stage.
Can wisdom tooth pain go away on its own?
A pericoronitis flare often settles for weeks or months, which is why people delay. It comes back, because the gum flap that traps food is still there. Each flare also carries a small risk of the infection spreading into the tissue spaces of the neck, which is the serious version.
Is wisdom tooth removal dangerous?
It is a routine procedure with a small, real risk set. The one that matters is temporary or, rarely, permanent numbness of the lip and chin where lower roots sit against the inferior alveolar nerve. This is exactly what a CBCT scan is for, and it is why a lower impacted tooth should not be removed on the strength of an OPG alone when the relationship looks close.
Medically reviewed
Reviewed by Dr. Dhanya Saxena, BDS, MHA, FMC, FAOI, oro-dental surgeon and aesthetic physician at Redefine Dental and Facial Aesthetic, Indira Nagar, Lucknow. Dental Council registration 20935. Last reviewed 30 August 2026.
This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Prices are prevailing Lucknow market ranges, not a quotation. If you have facial swelling, difficulty swallowing or difficulty breathing, seek emergency medical care rather than a routine appointment.