The Cost of Wisdom Teeth Removal Explained

Having your wisdom teeth removed is so common, it’s almost become a high school rite of passage. If you don’t need to pay a visit to a wisdom teeth removal dentist, consider yourself one of the lucky ones. So, as a parent, you’re naturally expecting this eventual cost. And the good news is that your dental insurance is definitely going to help you out; wisdom tooth extractions are a preventative procedure. Which is a good thing—without insurance, seeing a wisdom tooth specialist to get impacted teeth removed can run anywhere between $1000-$3000. Not something you’d want to pay out of pocket for by any means.

But that’s all vague; not everyone is blessed with four non-essential teeth trying to rupture through their gums. Some people only have a single wisdom tooth and have the quickest wisdom tooth extraction ever. How much does it cost to remove wisdom teeth? That depends on a variety of factors, but most oral surgeons will perform wisdom teeth extractions for anywhere from $300 to $700 per tooth. Let’s explain how the cost of a wisdom tooth excision is affected by insurance coverage, billing methods, and the level of complication of the procedure.

Will Insurance Pay the Wisdom Teeth Removal Cost?

In most cases, insurance will pay for all or most of the cost of the procedure. And that’s a big win. If you’ve spent your child’s life putting money aside for the day that they go to see the surgeon who performs fast and easy wisdom tooth extractions expecting a costly visit, you’re in for a treat if it’s mostly or fully covered. Most wisdom teeth extractions are not cosmetic — they are done out of medical necessity. Impacted wisdom teeth are something you don’t want to mess around with—they can lead to infection, gum disease, and tooth decay in neighboring teeth. If your dentist or maxillofacial surgeon maintains that removing your wisdom teeth is critical to your dental health, the procedure will be covered by insurance. Which, if they’re a trusted wisdom tooth removal expert who doesn’t try to milk their patients and the insurance, they should know to code it as medically necessary even if it’s simply preventative care at that moment in time. Your dental insurance would much rather help you cover a simple preventative oral surgery than several more intensive ones later, should wisdom teeth left unchecked cause other issues in your mouth.

The exact amount of coverage will depend on the quality of your insurance plan. We can speak to your insurance company to see how much will be covered. We value transparency with our patients and want them to know what sort of costs they can expect ahead of time. While we’re big on making wisdom teeth extractions as cheap as possiblefor our patients, it ultimately depends on the kind of dental insurance that’s provided. Keep in mind that most insurance plans will cap coverage at a certain amount. Because of this, it’s important to plan expensive procedures like wisdom teeth removal around a time you aren’t getting other costly treatments done. This will ensure that your insurance coverage is able to pay for a greater portion of the wisdom teeth removal cost. It might require some planning, but you’ll be elated to see the savings from the insurance on the cost of the wisdom tooth extraction.

Wilmington Oral Surgery Dramatically Lowers the Cost to Remove Wisdom Teeth

If you noticed our wording above, we said “most oral surgeons” when we estimated the average cost to remove wisdom teeth. The good news is Dr. Puckett is better than most — for a number of reasons. Our affordable cost and gentler approach to oral surgery is why so many people are willing to make the drive from Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus. We make it worth their effort. We make it our mission to work with your insurance for you. Seeing a wisdom teeth removal dentist who doesn’t charge a ton of money for quality work is important to our patients—and we’re here for it. It’s one of the many facets of our practice that separates us from other oral surgeons in the area.

Compared to other maxillofacial surgeons, we can save our patients $600 to $1,000 on the price to remove wisdom teeth, depending on the location of the teeth and if the teeth are impacted. We do this by taking a careful approach to surgery and insurance stipulations. If the dental specialist removing your wisdom teeth is insurance-savvy, they’ll know there are a few ways to save their patients the most amount of money. They can also find ways to lower their own cost for the procedure without comprising the level of care during the operation. We’re able to provide as good if not better quality of treatment for less because we care. We’ve taken the time to lower the cost.

• First, we only charge for the anesthesia time required. Most oral surgeons will charge for the ‘insurance allowed’ anesthesia time (60 minutes in four 15-minute increments), even when the procedure usually takes far fewer than 60 minutes.
• Second, we only code for the actual position of the teeth — we’ll never code to a higher level. This alone can save you up to $100 per tooth. It’s all about fairness. We like to treat our patients right.
• Third, we base our fees on a fair and reasonable understanding of our costs and value of the service provided. We do not base our fees on the recommended amounts listed in the ‘Fee Schedule’ book which most oral surgery and dental offices use.
• Finally, we don’t allow the insurance company to dictate your needs. This is your mouth, your dental care after all. We advocate with your priorities in mind. Dr. Puckett won’t let the insurance companies push you around.

Our oral surgery practice is patient-focused, and that includes helping our patients manage and reduce costs for wisdom tooth procedures that they need. We understand that our patients aren’t all loaded to the max and every dollar saved counts. It’s just one of the many things that makes us a wisdom teeth removal dentist that patients love. You’ll get the same quality, focused care while operating that we’re known for, and you get to save a bunch of money. Once you or your child is all healed up from having surgery, take that extra money you saved and go on a daytrip or something—you’ve earned it. We do everything we can to lower the expense of removing wisdom teeth; you get the care you need for less than nearly anywhere else.

The Longer You Put Off Wisdom Teeth Surgery, the More It Costs

Unless a dentist or oral surgeon specifically tells you that you don’t need your wisdom teeth removed, you should plan to have them out, even if they erupt and don’t cause any discomfort. Left unattended to, wisdom teeth can become a real problem in later life and still necessitate visiting with your wisdom tooth removal dentist.  Wisdom teeth can become impacted, they can shift your other teeth and change your bite, and they’re a greater risk for decay, abscesses and infections. These complications will make extracting the wisdom teeth more expensive because the procedure will be much more involved. For instance, if the tooth is deeply impacted, the dental surgeon performing the wisdom tooth extraction might need to remove some of your jawbone to fully access the tooth. Yikes. Or, it might be a much lengthier procedure than normal, and your surgeon may need to “section” the wisdom teeth, or cut them into smaller pieces for easier removal. Both of these things mean more pain for you, a longer healing process, and yes, a more expensive wisdom teeth removal procedure. These are just some of the reasons that most wisdom teeth surgeons with years of experience will tell their patients that it’s always better to get them taken out early before they have the chance to cause any issues. They’re really not pulling your leg. They’ve seen it all, and they’re trying to do you a solid.

So, what if you have waited several years and high school is long behind you now? While it’s true you can have your wisdom teeth extracted at any age, the older you get, the more complicated and expensive the procedure becomes. That’s why we recommend having your wisdom teeth removed in your early 20s at the latest. This will cause less damage to your surrounding teeth, fewer problems with your jawbone, and will heal more quickly. When you get older, your jawbone becomes much less malleable, and it’s more difficult to provide a fast and relatively painless wisdom tooth extraction. When you’re young, your bones aren’t quite as rigid yet, and it’s much easier to get in there and take them out without causing much fuss.

Ask Your Oral Surgeon if You Need Your Wisdom Teeth Extracted