Hi there, I am suffering with a partially erupted 3rd molar on my lower right side. Only approx 20% of the tooth is visable and has been this way for about 3 years now. It is a tight seal between the tooth and the operculum which means its very difficult to keep clean, even using a syringe does not work. this is making it very prone to infection, and the smell....well lets keep this polite and say its more them embarrasing. My question to you is, what is the likelyhood that my dentist will agree to remove the operculum as i have read on alot of forums that the riskis involved with the lingual nerve are very high and the operculectomy has been removed from standard practice. Im in the UK, using a UK dentist just incase that makes a difference. I would really appriciate any help and advice you could give me. Thanks Sean