Health Advice
- Weight Management
- Quit Smoking
- Acne
- Child Health
- Pain
- Oral Care & Hygiene
- Aneurysm, abdominal aortic
- Tummy ache
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- First aid
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- Acupuncture
- Gallbladder, inflammation
- Leukaemia, acute lymphoblastic
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- Addiction
- Addison's disease
- Adenoids and adenoidectomy
- Frozen shoulder
- Agoraphobia
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- Alcohol misuse
- Alcohol poisoning
- Alexander technique
- Rhinitis, allergic
- Indoor allergy
- Mountain sickness
- Alzheimer's disease
- Lazy eye
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- Memory loss
- Amniocentesis
- Amputation
- Motor neurone disease
- Steroid misuse
- Iron deficiency anaemia
- Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia
- Anaesthesia
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- Brain aneurysm
- Angelman syndrome
- Anger management
- Angina
- Angioedema
- Arteriography
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- Dog bites
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- Ankylosing spondylitis
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- Smell sense, loss of
- Antacid medicines
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- Antisocial personality disorder
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- Wrist, broken
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- Hearing tests
- Bird flu
- B12 vitamin deficiency
- Skin rashes in babies
- Weaning
- Lumbago (low back pain)
- Septic arthritis
- Halitosis (bad breath)
- Weight loss surgery
- Barium enema
- Bartholin's cyst
- Pressure ulcers
- Bedbugs
- Nocturnal enuresis
- Behçet’s disease
- Facial paralysis
- Tongue pain or soreness
- Prostate enlargement
- Beta-blockers
- Bicarbonate test
- Binge eating
- Biopsy
- Bipolar disorder
- Spider bite
- Eye, black
- Bladder cancer
- Cystitis
- Bladder stones
- Blisters
- Blood donation
- Blood gases test
- Blood groups
- Coughing up blood
- Semen, bloody
- Urine, blood in the
- Vomiting blood
- Septicaemia
- Hypertension
- Low blood pressure
- Blood tests
- Blood transfusion
- Blushing
- Bromhidrosis (body odour)
- Bone cyst
- DXA scan
- Bone marrow donation
- Stem cell transplant
- Borderline personality disorder
- Bottle feeding
- Botulism
- Rectal cancer
- Polyps, bowel
- Leaky gut syndrome
- Orthodontics
- Brain abscess
- Head injury, severe
- Brain tumour, benign (non-cancerous)
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- Brain tumours
- Breast abscess
- Breast cancer
- Male breast cancer
- Screening for breast cancer
- Nipple discharge
- Mastitis
- Breast lump
- Breastfeeding
- Shortness of breath
- Osteoporosis
- Fractured collarbone
- Hip fracture
- Leg, broken
- Fractured nose
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- Toe, broken
- Tooth, broken or knocked out
- Smelly feet (bromodosis)
- Bronchitis
- Teeth grinding
- Thyroid eye disease
- Bulimia
- Burns and scalds
- Heart bypass
- Caesarean section
- Food poisoning
- Cancer
- Thrush
- Thrush, men
- Thrush, oral - adults
- Thrush, oral - babies
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Cardiovascular disease
- Cartilage damage
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- Rib, cervical
- Smear test
- Sore lips
- Chemotherapy
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- Chest pain
- Herpes zoster virus
- Statins
- Kidney disease, chronic
- Leukaemia, chronic lymphocytic
- Leukaemia, chronic myeloid
- Cirrhosis
- Claustrophobia
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- White coated tongue
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- Herpes simplex virus
- Cold
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- Coma
- Combined contraceptive pill
- Pneumonia
- CT scan
- Concussion
- Hole in the heart
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- Constipation
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- Coronary heart disease
- Vegetative state
- Topical corticosteroids
- Steroid medication
- Cosmetic surgery
- Cough
- Counselling
- Leg cramps
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- Undescended testicles
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- Cystic fibrosis
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- Dandruff
- Date rape drugs
- Thyroiditis
- Hearing impairment
- Dehydration
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- Teething
- Tooth decay
- Fluoride
- False teeth (dentures)
- Depression
- Dyspraxia in children
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- Dialysis
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- Nutrition
- Rectal examination
- Double vision
- Nummular eczema
- Shoulder dislocation
- Diverticular disease and diverticulitis
- Lightheadedness
- Down's syndrome
- Dry eye syndrome
- Thirst
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- Periods, painful
- Indigestion
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- Dyspraxia (adults)
- Swimmer's ear
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- Ebola virus disease
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- Endoscopy
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- Epidural
- Epilepsy
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- Impotence
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- Ocular cancer
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- Family planning
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- Wind
- Seasonal flu
- Nail patella syndrome
- Food allergy
- Foot pain
- Frostbite
- Gallstones
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- Herpes, genital
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- Iron overload disorder
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- Ingrown hairs
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- Tendon repair, hand
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- Nits
- Headaches
- Hearing and vision tests for children
- Myocardial infarction
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- Heart transplant
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- Heat exhaustion and heatstroke
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- Periods, heavy
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- Herbal medicines
- Hernia, femoral
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- HIV and AIDS
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- Underactive thyroid
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Painkillers, ibuprofen
- Shoulder tendon, trapped
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- Inquest
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- Lung transplant
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- Mastectomy
- Rubeola
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- Multiple system atrophy
- Mumps
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- Selective mutism
- Short-sightedness
- Nose and sinus cancer
- Polyps, nose
- Nasopharyngeal cancer
- Natural family planning
- Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Night sweats
- Nightmares
- Rhinitis, non-allergic
- Type 2 diabetes
- Winter vomiting disease
- Obesity
- OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder)
- Sleep apnoea
- Occupational therapy
- Swollen ankles
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- Periods, irregular
- Organ donation
- Orthopaedics (orthopaedic surgery)
- Osteoarthritis
- Rickets
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- Pacemaker implantation
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- Paracetamol
- Ulcerative colitis
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- Panic disorder
- Pins and needles
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- Pelvic pain
- Ulcer, peptic
- Ruptured eardrum
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- Periods
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- Personality disorder
- Whooping cough
- Strep throat
- Phobias
- Physiotherapy
- Pilonidal sinus
- Plastic surgery
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- Pneumococcal infections
- Poisoning
- Reflux in babies
- Potassium test
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- Slipped disc
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- Puberty
- Radiation
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- Red blood cell count
- Rheumatic fever
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- Roundworm
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
- Salivary stones
- Salmonella infection
- Scabies
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- Self-harm
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- Sexual health clinics
- STIs
- Shingles
- Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
- Vomiting in children and babies
- Sinus headache
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- Skin rashes in children
- Sleep paralysis
- Sleepwalking
- Urine, smelly
- Snake bites
- Snoring
- Spina bifida
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- Squint
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- Stroke
- Stye
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- Tuberculosis (TB)
- Tension-type headaches
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- Thyroid cancer
- Tics
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- Tonsillitis
- Toothache
- Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC or transferrin) test
- Total protein test
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- Traction
- Travel vaccines
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- Urinary tract infection
- Vaginitis
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- Varicose eczema
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- Warts and verrucas
- Vertigo
- Vitamins, minerals and supplements
- Vomiting in adults
- Warfarin
- Weight loss (unexpected and unplanned)
- Whiplash
- Wisdom tooth removal
- X-ray
- Yellow fever
- Bowel cancer screening
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Read moreNHS Choices - Recovering from wisdom tooth removal
(27/04/2015)
It can take up to two weeks to fully recover after having your wisdom teeth removed.
During this time, you may experience:
- swelling (inflammation) of your mouth and cheeks – this will be worse for the first few days, but gradually improves; gently pressing a cold cloth to your face helps to reduce the swelling
- a stiff, sore jaw – this should wear off within 7 to 10 days; the skin around your jaw may also be bruised for up to two weeks
- pain – this is worse if the extraction was complicated
- an unpleasant taste in your mouth
- tingling or numbness of your face, lips or tongue (although this is uncommon)
You should report any excess bleeding, severe pain or any other unusual symptoms to your dentist or oral surgeon immediately.
Self-care advice
To reduce pain and aid your recovery, it can be helpful to:
- use painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen (always read and follow the manufacturer's dosage instructions) – there's some evidence to suggest that ibuprofen is the best painkiller to take after having wisdom teeth removed
- avoid strenuous activity and exercise for a few days
- use an extra pillow to support your head at night
- for 24 hours, avoid rinsing, spitting, hot drinks or anything else that may dislodge the blood clots that form in the empty tooth socket, as they help the healing process
- avoid drinking alcohol and smoking
- eat soft or liquid food for a few days and chew with your other teeth
- gently rinse the extraction site with antiseptic mouthwash after 24 hours, and repeat this regularly over the next few days – you can also use warm water with a teaspoon of salt as mouthwash, to reduce gum soreness and inflammation
Working and driving
It's usually recommended that you take a day or two off work after having a wisdom tooth removed.
You can drive immediately after the procedure if local anaesthetic was used, but you should avoid driving for at least 24 hours if a sedative was used, or 48 hours if the procedure was carried out under general anaesthetic.
Returning to normal
After your wisdom teeth have been removed and any swelling and bruising has disappeared, your mouth and face should return to normal.
You'll usually be able to brush your teeth normally after a few days. Make sure you finish any course of antibiotics you've been given.
A check-up appointment may be arranged for about a week or so after the procedure. At this point, any remaining stitches may be removed.