We see a lot of patients in their late teens and early twenties who come in saying the same thing: “Something feels weird at the back of my mouth.” It’s usually sore, maybe a little swollen, and it’s been bugging them for a few weeks. Nine times out of ten, it’s their wisdom teeth.

Some people get lucky and their wisdom teeth come in just fine. But for most of us, there isn’t enough room back there for four extra molars. That’s when the pain, crowding, and infections start. At Burnaby South Dental in Highgate, wisdom teeth extractions are probably the procedure we do most often, so we wanted to put together a real, no-fluff guide to what it’s actually like.

So What’s the Deal with Wisdom Teeth?

Wisdom teeth are your third set of molars. They’re the last ones to show up, usually somewhere between age 17 and 25. Most people have four, one in each corner of the mouth, though it’s totally normal to have fewer or even none.

Here’s the issue: human jaws have gotten smaller over thousands of years, but wisdom teeth didn’t get the memo. So there’s often not enough space for them to come in properly. When a wisdom tooth can’t fully break through the gum, it’s called impacted, and that’s usually where the trouble starts. They can push against your other teeth, trap bacteria under the gum line, or grow in at weird angles.

How to Tell If Your Wisdom Teeth Need to Come Out

Not every wisdom tooth is a problem. Some sit there quietly for years and never cause any issues. But if you’re noticing any of the stuff below, it’s a good idea to come in and get an X-ray so your Burnaby dentist can see what’s going on.

Pain or Pressure Behind Your Back Molars

This is the big one. It might be a dull ache that comes and goes, or it might be sharper when you’re chewing. A lot of people ignore it because it goes away for a while, but if it keeps coming back, something is going on under the surface.

Swollen or Angry-Looking Gums

When a wisdom tooth only partially breaks through, a little flap of gum tissue can form over it. Food and bacteria love to get trapped under that flap. The result is a condition called pericoronitis, which is basically an infection of the gum around the tooth. It’s red, swollen, and sometimes you’ll notice a bad taste in your mouth. Not fun.

Your Jaw Feels Stiff or Tight

Impacted wisdom teeth can put a surprising amount of pressure on the tissues around them, including the jaw joint itself. If opening your mouth all the way has started to feel uncomfortable, it’s worth getting checked.

Your Other Teeth Are Starting to Shift

This one drives people crazy, especially if they had braces as a teenager. You went through all that work to straighten your teeth, and now they’re starting to overlap again. Wisdom teeth pushing forward can absolutely cause that.

You Keep Getting Cavities or Infections Way Back There

Wisdom teeth sit so far back that they’re really hard to brush and floss properly. If you’re doing everything right at home but still getting cavities or infections in that area, it’s often because the tooth is just impossible to keep clean. At that point, removing it is usually the smartest move.

What Actually Happens During the Procedure

We get it. Nobody’s excited about having teeth pulled. But honestly, the anticipation is almost always worse than the real thing. Here’s how we handle it at Burnaby South Dental.

Before We Start

First, we take a panoramic X-ray or a cone-beam CT scan so we can see exactly where the teeth are sitting, how the roots are shaped, and whether they’re close to any nerves. This step is important because it lets us plan the safest approach for your specific situation. We’ll also go over your medical history, talk about sedation if you want it, and walk you through what to expect afterward.

The Extraction Itself

We numb the whole area with local anesthesia, so you won’t feel any pain during the procedure. If you’re anxious (and plenty of people are, no judgment), we have sedation options that can help you feel calm and relaxed throughout.

If the tooth has already come through the gum, it’s a fairly simple extraction. We loosen it and ease it out. If it’s impacted, we may need to make a small incision in the gum, and sometimes we’ll section the tooth into a few pieces so it comes out more easily and with less disruption to the surrounding bone. The whole thing usually takes about 30 to 60 minutes, depending on how many teeth we’re removing and how they’re positioned.

Before You Head Home

We won’t rush you out the door. We’ll make sure the bleeding has slowed down, give you gauze and a clear set of written aftercare instructions, and go over any prescriptions. If you had sedation, you’ll need someone to drive you home. We always tell patients to have that arranged before they come in.

Recovery: What the First Week Actually Looks Like

Most people feel noticeably better within three or four days. Full healing takes about a week, sometimes a little longer for surgical extractions. Here’s what we tell our patients.

Day One

• Take it easy. Seriously. Cancel your plans and rest with your head propped up.
• Bite gently on the gauze we give you. The goal is to let a blood clot form in the socket, because that clot is what protects the area while it heals.
• Ice your cheek in 20-minute intervals. It really does help with the swelling.
• Stick to soft, cool foods. Yogurt, smoothies, applesauce, mashed potatoes. Nothing hot.
• Stay away from straws. The suction can pull the blood clot out and cause dry socket, which is significantly more painful than the extraction itself.

Days Two Through Seven

• Slowly start bringing normal foods back as things feel better. Listen to your body.
• Rinse gently with warm salt water (half a teaspoon in a cup of warm water) after eating. Don’t swish aggressively.
• Keep taking pain medication on schedule, even if you feel okay. It’s easier to stay ahead of the pain than to catch up to it.
• If you smoke, now is a really good time to take a break. Smoking dramatically slows healing and raises the risk of dry socket.
• Brush your teeth like normal, but be careful around the extraction site for the first few days.

One thing to watch for: if the pain is actually getting worse after the third day instead of better, or you notice a bad taste or a fever, give us a call. It could be dry socket or the start of an infection, and both are very treatable. We just need to see you.

Sometimes You Can Keep Them

We don’t believe in pulling teeth that don’t need to be pulled. If your wisdom teeth have come in fully, they’re sitting straight, they’re not causing any symptoms, and you can actually reach them with your toothbrush and floss, there may be no reason to remove them. In those cases, your Burnaby dentist will probably just want to keep an eye on them with regular checkups and the occasional X-ray to make sure nothing changes down the road.

What Does It Cost to Get Wisdom Teeth Removed in Burnaby?

This is the question everyone asks, and the honest answer is: it depends. A simple extraction where the tooth is already above the gum line costs less than a surgical extraction of a deeply impacted tooth. In BC, you’re generally looking at somewhere between $200 and $600 per tooth. Sedation, if you choose it, is additional.

The good news is that most dental insurance plans cover wisdom tooth removal either partially or in full. Our front desk team at Burnaby South Dental will submit your claim directly to your insurance company so you don’t have to deal with the paperwork. We also accept the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) and we’re happy to work with you on a payment plan if you need one.

Why Patients in Highgate and South Burnaby Come to Us

Wisdom teeth extractions are something we do all the time, from straightforward pulls to more involved surgical cases. We use advanced imaging to plan every extraction carefully because we think you deserve more than a “let’s just go in and see what happens” approach. We also offer sedation for patients who are nervous, and we genuinely take the time to make sure you understand what’s happening at every step.

Our clinic is at 6975 Kingsway in the Highgate area, and we’re open Monday through Saturday. If you’re in pain and need to be seen quickly, call us. We do our best to fit urgent cases in the same day or next day.

Think Your Wisdom Teeth Might Need to Come Out?

There’s no downside to getting them looked at. Book a consultation at Burnaby South Dental and we’ll take an X-ray, tell you exactly what we see, and give you a straight answer about whether they need to come out or not. No pressure, no upselling.

Call us at (604) 540-6000 or book online at burnabysouthdental.com/contact-us

Burnaby South Dental // 6975 Kingsway #2, Burnaby (Highgate)

Your smile. Our priority.