Wisdom Teeth Removal - how to be smart consumer?

[princessbride6205]

So my dentist says I should have all 4 wisdom teeth removed, but I'm concerned about the cost.
Tooth 1 - only one visible, facing sideways, impossible to clean
Tooth 2 - just under gum and starting to get infected
Teeth 3 & 4 - not close to coming in, probably never will, and if they did, I'd have to get them removed then anyway.

Since 3 of the 4 teeth have not come in, I have to submit to my medical health insurance first and then my crap dental insurance.

How do I get any idea what things cost and what insurance will cover? With everyone's teeth so different, I can't imagine the office giving me a price quote over the phone. My dentist referred me to an oral surgeon, but I want to be smart about this and shop around a bit. I guess my first step is to figure out which oral surgeons both my dental and health insurance participate with.

 

[marie1203]

Dental surgery is not something I would go with the cheapest but the best reviews.

 

[LisaNJ25]

I can tell you my son just had his 4 out.. 2 impacted 2 came through. It was $1200. He was not put to sleep so I am sure that would ad more.

Long crazy story we were at 3 oral surgeons due to mine closing his practice, the second one was under are plan after we were told they were and than the one we finally went to.

They one who turned out to not be under my plan wanted around 2000, and than couldnt understand why I didnt want to use them when my plan paid 100%.

I would almost hold off on tooth 3 and 4? How old are you? I only had my son get all 4 out since he just got braces off and they were pointed sideways. I still have 3 out of 4.

 

[LoriKutchey]

I would shop around based solely on the reputation of the oral surgeon. A good starting point would be your family dentist and family/friends/neighbors.
If you are being put under (best option) I would not hold off on getting any of them removed, just get all four extracted at the same time. So you only have to go thru post-op healing once.

 

[mjkacmom]

Mine was covered 100% under my medial insurance. I was given twilight sedation, remember everything, but thought it was fun, so I guess it worked well. I had 3 done. The 4th is floating around my sinus cavity, and the surgeon left it up to me, because removing it could cause sinus damage.

 

[disneysmiles]

How do I get any idea what things cost and what insurance will cover? With everyone's teeth so different, I can't imagine the office giving me a price quote over the phone.

You can definately get the idea of the cost. Ask your dentist what the coding would be for each tooth. It's a 4 digit code that starts with a 7 in the case of extractions. I wouldn't be able to tell you the code without looking at the x-rays.

When you call to oral surgery offices, tell the front desk you have the coding for 4 wisdom teeth and how much would that cost. Putting you under is extra. You can ask how much they charge for sedation.

I'm a dentist and have seen people do fine with just regular local anesthesia with surgical extractions. You will hear drilling, and teeth make popping noises when they come out. If you think you will be cool with that, then you could go with regular anesthesia.

Also if you have an infection in one of your wisdom teeth, it's way better to get them out now rather than later. If a tooth is all decayed it much more difficult to remove. Believe me I know.

Good luck. Enjoy joining the ranks of the wisdom-toothless.

 

[RachaelA]

Call both your medical and dental insurance and see what's covered if you use an in-network oral surgeon.

We paid $330 plus my prescription after my dental insurance (I maxed it out for the year) to have all 4 wisdom teeth removed. They put me completely under. I didn't NEED to have the teeth out (none were coming through), but I wanted to get them out before they would have gotten worse.

Our dental is horrible unless you find one of the few dentists/surgeons that it covers in-network.

 

[momof1princess]

several years ago, our dentist told DH he should have his wisdom teeth removed. we really only have one good oral surgeon in town, and i took DH to see him. the OS told us DH really only needed 3 of the 4 removed, as removing the 4th one would make his bite crooked. OP, i would definitely get a recommendation of a really good oral surgeon and at least do a consultation, during which you should be able to find out exactly what needs to be done, and how much it will cost. DH got the 3 wisdom teeth removed per the OS's recommendation-it was done in-office under regular anesthesia, and DH doesn't remember a thing, lol.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Another option if there's one nearby is a dental school. We have Tufts in Boston, and while they didn't take insurance when I investigated, the cost was much lower, all work is done under supervision, and you can submit the bills to your insurance company for reimbursement.

 

[angierae]

When I had two wisdom teeth out (impacted), my dental insurance paid for all of it except if I wanted twilight sedation, I had to pay for it myself. That was $300.

(Apparently while under the twilight I got pissed and ripped out my IV. They had to put it back into my other arm and strap my arms down. I remember none of this.)

 

[maggiew]

I'm just going through this now with my DD. First I called my medical insurance company and asked if either of the 2 oral surgeons that the dentist had recommended was covered on our plan. Then I asked what the cost would be. They told me the cost if the teeth were impacted or not impacted. Then I went to the oral surgeon that was on our plan for a consultation. After the consultation, the receptionist called our insurance plan and gave the codes and told us the estimated cost to us. It is going to be around $120! (All 4 are impacted) Woo hoo!

Maggie

 

[princessbride6205]

Thanks, all. Obviously I'm not going to just go with the lowest bidder, but I'd like to have some idea if I'm going to owe a few hundred or a few thousand, ya know?
After some phone calls yesterday, I discovered there are only 2 oral surgeons in my area covered by both my medical and dental. I checked Health Grades and neither has any issues on their record, but only 1 has any reviews.
I think the consultation is a good idea, then I can get the oral surgeon's opinion on the 2 teeth that aren't immediately necessary as well as the codes to find out price and what insurance will cover.

 

[niclodn]

I can't help you with cost estimates, but I can say that you should NOT postpone removing all 4! When I had braces (in my mid-20's), my orthodontist advised me to have my wisdom teeth out first (none had erupted yet). So, I had a consult with an oral surgeon -- he said he wouldn't recommend doing anything since they didn't hurt/bother me. Ortho said okay, no problem. Wore braces for 18 months after which 3 of the 4 wisdom teeth erupted -- still never had any pain or issues with them. Fast forward, 10 years -- they started to hurt. Since I now work for a dentist, he checked them and said that I really needed to have them removed -- so he pulled the 3 erupted ones (still need to see an oral surgeon to get the 4th, impacted one out). Found out at that time that one of wisdom teeth had over the years ground into the tooth next to it causing severe bone loss. I am now going to lose that tooth as well because there is no bone left. I could do a bone graft and crown, but it is super expensive and there is no guaranteed that it would even take given the amount bone loss. In fact, they said that I'd be lucky if it lasted more than a couple of years.

 

[JB2K]

Tooth 1 - only one visible, facing sideways, impossible to clean
Tooth 2 - just under gum and starting to get infected
Teeth 3 & 4 - not close to coming in, probably never will, and if they did, I'd have to get them removed then anyway.

When faced with something like this, one's dental health is everything -- even more than planing for that Disney trip. Unless you want a mouthful of "yuck", getting rid of teeth 1 & 2 is a foregone conclusion -- and you may as well throw-in teeth 3 & 4, for good measure.

My dentist referred me to an oral surgeon, but I want to be smart about this and shop around a bit. I guess my first step is to figure out which oral surgeons both my dental and health insurance participate with.

Quite frankly, when my health is in question, I wouldn't think of the BB as the "go to" place...

 

[Sammy]

DD just had all four of her widsom teeth removed in January...three were impacted. Total cost was $2600, of which I had to pay $950 out of pocket. I went with an oral surgeon who I was familiar with as he had done some work with my son several years ago, and also he had a great reputation. She sailed through the surgery and recovery and everything went great.

DDs boyfriend had his out about the same time, but his mom "shopped" around with cost being the only factor in her decision. She certainly got the cheapest price, but the poor kid had nothing but problems...everything from poor pain control, very little information on recovery procedures, numbness in his lip even 4 months later, etc.

Just be sure to check out reputation and reviews as well as cost!

 

[pezaddict231]

I had two out and I think the bill said it was about $1k. It also included anesthesia, I was asleep for the surgery, and my insurance covered most since they were impacted. It actually went through my medical insurance, all I paid was the co-pay of $25.

I would say you definitely get 1 and 2 out. I was having the problem you are having with tooth #2 and the infections are much worse than the surgery. The thing I didn't know about wisdom teeth is that they keep growing, this is why they recommend you get them out when you're younger. The longer you wait, the more potential there is for complications like nerve damage.

 

[arminnie]

A really good oral surgeon is so worth it. I had two wisdom teeth out at age 60 so they were really in there. Bottom one had 4 roots with barbs. The OR showed it to me (in pieces) and told me it was one of the harder ones he'd had to extract.

I had absolutely no swelling or discomfort because my surgeon was SO good. No sedation other than novacaine either. He doesn't participate in any dental plans though. He doesn't have to.

I had another wisdom tooth out years ago. Again it was a great OR. I went on a cross country business trip the next day. I cringe when I hear the horror stories that some people go through. There are always exceptions, but a good OR can make the process so much easier.

 

[ZehnJahren]

(Apparently while under the twilight I got pissed and ripped out my IV. They had to put it back into my other arm and strap my arms down. I remember none of this.)

Me too! I took out my own IV three times! But then again, I have a deep abiding fear of needles, so I'm not exactly surprised.

My surgery (really awful dental insurance), with the optional nitrous to get me knocked out enough to have the IV put in, cost almost $1300. It should have been $700, but the insurance company and the hospital argued over who made the billing mistake - still waiting to find out who it was so I know the final number. This was in 2001...

 

[ceecee]

I would get them all out at once. You will pay for the IV and it's easier to get it over with. Don't go to a general dentist!!! Pick a good, reputable oral surgeon, this is something you don't want to go budget on. Most will be close in price anyway.

 

[jacqueline'smom]

A really good oral surgeon is so worth it. I had two wisdom teeth out at age 60 so they were really in there. Bottom one had 4 roots with barbs. The OR showed it to me (in pieces) and told me it was one of the harder ones he'd had to extract.

I had absolutely no swelling or discomfort because my surgeon was SO good. No sedation other than novacaine either. He doesn't participate in any dental plans though. He doesn't have to.

I had another wisdom tooth out years ago. Again it was a great OR. I went on a cross country business trip the next day. I cringe when I hear the horror stories that some people go through. There are always exceptions, but a good OR can make the process so much easier.

That is wonderful!!!! I had three removed about three weeks ago...(i only had three) I was in awful pain for days and I still don't have the feeling back in my chin or lip or bottom teeth on the left side. I still feel a little but it is like needles kind of... I was asleep when they did it but i do remember trying to tell him something was hurting and the grinding sound...almost like i dreamed it...he was a very nice man and all but i wish i would have paid more attention to the things that could go wrong... i was able to loose a few pounds though since i couldn't eat for a while so that is an upside I also booked our disney trip in my drug induced state ha ha and I booked my ADR like that too...i had to cancel some when I was back in my right mind oh that was due to the pain meds after...i think one every six hours is too much now that i look back at it....and my bank statement