To answer some of the questions regarding the wisdom teeth removal.
Yes I did go to an oral surgeon. They put in an IV for anesthesia, then said ok in about a minute you will fall asleep, I said Ok, and then I woke up in recovery! It was crazy how fast and effective the anesthesia was!
Here is how the bill broke down:
Evaluation $70
Extraction - Surgical $750 (3 teeth)
Extraction - Partial Bony $335 (1 tooth)
Antibiotics $45
Anesthesia $375
Pain Pills $6
Subtotal $1581
5% Discount for paying cash $79
Total $1507
So because 3 of the teeth were already out of the gum line that saved me some money because that was only $250 per tooth instead of $335 a tooth for teeth that are still under the gum line. Plus a little discount for paying cash.
Unfortunately I do not have dental insurance. I did ask them to submit it to my medical, I think the one tooth that was bony impacted, and possibly the anesthesia may be covered by medical.....I still would not get any money back because it would be going to my deductible, but at least that would reduce our deductible some. Will have to wait and see what happens with that part of it.
For now I am just making sure to keep up with the icing of the face and taking my meds. I would say the pain is minimal, more annoying then painful. Just happy to be done with it because they were REALLY killing me the last 2 weeks before I had them out!
Wisdom Teeth Follow Up
February 25th, 2010 at 03:24 pm
February 25th, 2010 at 03:59 pm 1267113583
February 25th, 2010 at 04:03 pm 1267113820
February 25th, 2010 at 04:34 pm 1267115647
I remember feeling very sleepy within seconds of the iv meds going in. It is fast!
February 25th, 2010 at 06:46 pm 1267123592
February 26th, 2010 at 01:12 pm 1267189922
The only thing is they are about the quarter of a size of a regular wisdom tooth. They actually have a name, which makes them so easy to extract, if the time comes.
The dentist and the hygenist have said that they only see these kind of wisdom teeth possibly a couple times a year, if that.
Plus, after years of chemo and not seeing a dentist for a cleaning in about 10/11 years, she had two very minor cavities, which they are doing all in one sitting.
He praised her on how well she has taken care of her teeth.