Are there risks associated with having wisdom teeth removed?
There are some risks. Usually, your mouth is sore for up to a week afterwards and it’s quite common for there to be some swelling, particularly around the cheeks. There also may be some bruising. There will be some stiffness of the jaw, so it will be a bit difficult to open the mouth for a while but that usually goes back to normal within a week or so. One of the important risks relates to a couple of nerves that run in and near the jaw bone. These supply the feeling, but not the movement, of the lower lip, chin and tongue. Sometimes, these nerves can get bumped or bruised when your wisdom teeth are taken out, which can result in a feeling of numbness and tingling in the lower lip, cheek or tongue. This is quite uncommon and it usually goes back to normal. In rare cases, the numbness or tingling can be permanent, so it’s important to ask your surgeon what the risks might be in your particular case.
