Dentist Advice Please- Wisdom Tooth Extraction

[Ice White Socks]

Bit of help please as I can't make any sense of any information online.

I have had a partially erupted wisdom tooth in the lower jaw for quite a few years now- was a bit of a PITA to keep clean and periodically got inflamed but I have never really got round to sorting it out. Its now partially crumbled away (I guess half the tooth above the bone line has gone).

Went to dentist to get it seen to- expecting him to whip it out in the chair like the first one I had removed. Instead I got a bit fobbed off- it doesn't sound like its something they do very often and he suggested I might need to go to a place that does that kind of work all day long. I must have been pretty knackered that day and for some reason never challenged it or asked for my options..

I pay privately for treatment- I can't remember paying any kind of offensive amount for the last one I had removed but some of the prices I have found online are nuts (£1000 plus).

Anyway question is- how much should I be paying for the extraction and if my dentist thinks its a tricky job then can I not just get referred to a hospital for an NHS removal. Cheers

[Lotus Notes]

In France, I went to a dental surgeon to remove a wisdom tooth that had not protruded and deal with the infection due to food build-up between teeth.

He dealt with the infection, removed the wisdom tooth under local anesthetic, made a crown to the tooth 'next door' the cost....1400€

I would have paid five times this amount to get rid of the pain! He did chip away a bit of the jaw and custom make the crown though...You can't tell the difference between my teeth and the crown.

I've kept all the codeine that I never used!!

[andy118run]

A quick glance at the NHS website shows you pay £53.90 for a tooth extraction. That's if you are already registered with an NHS dentist and the treatment is planned.

I've dodged dentists for years but recently had a problem much as you described - shattered tooth which got a little too painful for my liking and required extraction.

Not being registered with a dentist, I called my local NHS place which treats only emergency cases for people who are not registered with a dentist. The charge for emergency treatment is £19.70 (band 1) - that included the initial assessment/x-ray (I then had to take antibiotics for a week)as well as the extraction itself.

I'm sure private care is great, and has its place, but sometimes the NHS does things pretty well too!

[nick19]

I had a wisdom tooth removed privately in the summer, cost was £300.

[cringle]

Get referred to local hospital - free extraction. Lower wisdom tooth removal can be very difficult due to access issues, neglected and badly broken down teeth which are hard to "grip", and the roots being in close proximity to the nerve so best done by an oral surgeon who deals with this kind of stuff daily. I'm a general practitioner and don't bother with them any more, refer all of them out

[VolvoT5]

I had mine done as it was kind of impacted and poking out sideways into another tooth and causing the other tooth to start to decay. Plus having to constantly floss to get trapped food out after every single meal.

Anyway I had it done as day surgery at hospital, free of charge apart from the band 1 check up fee (circa £20?) I had to pay to the dentist to get referred. It was far better than my previous experiences of getting a root canal and then extraction at the dentist as the local injections just don't seem to fully work for me. Took about 2.5 - 3 weeks to fully heal though.

I've seen a family member with an infected / abscessed wisdom tooth and the pain appeared to be fking horrific. Do not ignore the problem until it decays, becomes infected and gets so bad you are in agony.

Edited by VolvoT5 on Saturday 1st October 16:51

[Ice White Socks]

Thanks Chaps- all very helpful replies. I'll get myself referred to the NHS- its going to be a tricky job as already pointed out given the poor state of the tooth. If it abscesses then its going to get nasty very quickly so I'll get it sorted ASAP. Cheers

[anonymous-user]

If you don't want to be awake for it 'conscious sedation' is a good crack. Had this done at Guys Hospital, they commented my blood pressure was a bit high when surrounded by all the female dental students and the oral surgeon was a treat to look at to...

[Piginapoke]

I had similar. It was the worst medical experience of my life

[Biker 1]

Ice White Socks said:

Thanks Chaps- all very helpful replies. I'll get myself referred to the NHS- its going to be a tricky job as already pointed out given the poor state of the tooth. If it abscesses then its going to get nasty very quickly so I'll get it sorted ASAP. Cheers

Had an abscess, albeit under other teeth. Holy st that hurt!! Antibiotics took forever to work & I didn't sleep for days! I also had a cracked wisdom tooth with multiple fillings & a hole through the root. It was a big relief to have it removed. NHS charged £30 if I remember, & gave me the tooth as a souvenir! Sort it sooner rather than later....