Wisdom tooth fell out leaving hole that food gets stuck in

[giai]

hi a couple of years ago my wisdom tooth (top right) fell out which has left a shallow hole in the gum where the tooth was. a small amount of the tooth remains on one side that sticks up above the gum about 1mm. my dentist (NHS) encouraged me to get the tooth removed because he said the nerve is exposed and i could get an absys however i haven't wanted to because i've never had any pain but mainly because i'm scared! until recently i could get food out of the hole with my toothbrush but the last few weeks i haven't been able to and now i'm sometimes getting a taste in my mouth that i think maybe rotting food stuck in the hole. what should i do please?

 

[Dr M]

Go and remove the tooth as soon as possible, so that the gum can heal in that area. Any infection might spread to adjacent teeth and/or lead to more severe problems at a later stage.

 

[giai]

thanks i know this is what i should do but how will it be done as most of the remainder of the tooth is under the surface of the gum. i'm scared just thinking about it. will it require a local or general anaethetic? will my NHS dentist be able to do or will it need to be done in hospital?

 

[Dr M]

Depends on the current x-ray of the tooth. Most likely you are looking at a surgical extraction, although top wisdom tooth surgical extractions normally go easier and can successfully be done in the chair, under local anaesthetic.