Wisdom Tooth Extraction in Singapore
Do I need to remove my wisdom teeth? When should I remove them?
Wisdom Tooth Removal
What is a Wisdom Tooth? | Cost of Wisdom Tooth Removal
Our dentists usually advise our patients to remove their wisdom teeth if they are present and impacted. Impacted wisdom teeth are teeth at the back of the mouth that do not have sufficient room to emerge or develop properly.
This results in wisdom teeth that may only be partially erupted from the gums(partially impacted), or in more severe cases, teeth may never break through the gums (fully impacted).
Non-surgical wisdom tooth extractions are generally quite affordable in Singapore with prices generally ranging between $150 – $350 per tooth.
Wisdom tooth surgeries on the other hand typically cost between $800 – $1,250 per tooth at most dental clinics in Singapore. Surgical removal of wisdom teeth is Medisave Claimable.
Our dentists usually remove impacted wisdom teeth that cause pain or other dental complications. However, we also recommend removing impacted wisdom teeth even if they are not currently symptomatic to prevent future oral health problems.
What is a Wisdom Tooth?
The Permanent Third Molar
In clinical terms, a wisdom tooth is the permanent third molar, the one right at the back of the upper and lower jaws, giving most people four wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth are the last to erupt around the age of 17-25 at which point people would have gained more wisdom than the tender age of 12 when we lose our baby teeth and gain our permanent set of adult teeth.
Why and how does the wisdom tooth come about? Why doesn’t it erupt like the rest of the permanent teeth? It all boils down to necessity. Our ancient forefathers needed the wisdom teeth to chew coarse and rough foods like uncooked meat, hard nuts and leaves of all kinds however, our modern diet consists of fine processed foods, the jaws will no longer need to evolve like ancient times with forward growth hence leaving no room for the third molar to erupt without impediment. And due to insufficient room in the jaws, it becomes stuck in the gums hence the term – impacted.
Having said this, not everyone undergoes eruption of these four wisdom teeth as they lie dormant in the gums with no symptoms at all. Many factors will need to come into play before the wisdom teeth eventually becomes impacted eg size of the teeth, size of the jaws, age, genes and gender.
When the wisdom tooth does moves or grow and start impacting the neighbouring teeth, it could inflame and infect the gum tissue over it. In the case where the impacted wisdom tooth does not erupt beyond the gum or just partially erupt, it could still cause infection, crowding, and develop cysts and cavities on the wisdom tooth or the second molar next to it.
On the other hand, even if the impaction does not affect the surroundings, it could pose an oral hygiene issue as it makes proper cleaning difficult. Hence, our dentists typically recommend that patients remove their wisdom teeth to prevent any potential oral health issues from arising in the future.
Symptoms of Impacted Wisdom Teeth
Impacted wisdom teeth could be classified by localised pain, swelling and bleeding of the gum tissues covering the impacted tooth. This happens when food and bacteria accumulate around the affected area. An impacted wisdom tooth could remain asymptomatic i.e. symptoms-free for many years before painful symptoms develop as most diseases yield no symptoms in its early stages.
Diagnosing an Impacted Wisdom Tooth
In the case where the impacted wisdom tooth could visibly be seen regarding its angulation, depth and the patient is older than 25 years omitting the chances of the wisdom tooth erupting any further, a clinical examination is sufficient to make the diagnosis.
Contrastingly, if the tooth could not be diagnosed with in-chair clinical examination, it is best to undergo a dental X-ray to determine the ratio of space between the wisdom tooth crown length and amount of space available in the jaw and the angle of the wisdom tooth to make a precise diagnosis.
Wisdom Tooth Removal Process
When the diagnosis calls for the wisdom teeth to be removed, your dentist will advise the steps that you will undergo during the extraction, making you more comfortable during an understandably intimidating procedure to most people. The extraction could be simple or more complex as it depends very much on the depth of the impaction and the angle of the impacted tooth. For the surgical extraction, you could opt for local anaesthesia or general anaesthesia but this is best left to the dental surgeon to determine based on your personal health condition.
To remove the impacted tooth, an incision is made to reveal the impacted tooth and the bone to extract the tooth in whole or in pieces. The gums will then be stitched back to let the healing take place. The whole process should be completed within an hour or less, depending on the variants involved.
After Wisdom Tooth Removal
When the diagnosis calls for the wisdom teeth to be removed, your dentist will advise the steps that you will undergo during the extraction, making you more comfortable during an understandably intimidating procedure to most people. The extraction could be simple or more complex as it depends very much on the depth of the impaction and the angle of the impacted tooth. For the surgical extraction, you could opt for local anaesthesia or general anaesthesia but this is best left to the dental surgeon to determine based on your personal health condition.
To remove the impacted tooth, an incision is made to reveal the impacted tooth and the bone to extract the tooth in whole or in pieces. The gums will then be stitched back to let the healing take place. The whole process should be completed within an hour or less, depending on the variants involved.
Cost of Wisdom Tooth Removal in Singapore
Non-Surgical Wisdom Tooth Extraction
Generally the cost of a non-surgical wisdom tooth extraction in Singapore ranges between $150 – $350 per tooth depending on the complexity of the case and the expertise of the dental practitioner.
Non-surgical wisdom tooth extractions are considered as regular routine extractions, as such they are not Medisave Claimable.
Wisdom Tooth Surgery
The cost of surgically removing a wisdom tooth in Singapore generally ranges between $950 – $1,250 depending on the complexity of the surgery and the experience of the dental practitioner removing the wisdom tooth.
As a Singaporean or Permanent Resident (PR), you could deduct from your MediSave savings up to a maximum of $300 per day for medical charges including consultation, medicines and related investigations, and from $250 to $7550 on certain operations. Hence, the claimable amount from MediSave is dependent on the type of surgery and its complexity.
However, the CPF Board is flexible in allowing immediate family members to help pay for a surgical procedure due to insufficient funds of a patient’s own MediSave account.
Wisdom Tooth Surgeries are Medisave claimable – Up to $950 per tooth.
And if you are insured with dental insurance coverage, the removal of your wisdom tooth could be paid for in full or half by the insurance company. You will have to consult with your agent or HR department for the finer details.
In Summary
You may or may not be experiencing pain in your third molars and are unsure whether to extract or not, perhaps you could no longer wait it out but quickly make a consultation with us to professionally determine the situation. The longer you take to decide, the higher chances of creating more gum diseases/inflammation, cysts and cavities which invariably leads to more complications and higher costs.
Armed with proper knowledge and aftercare, pulling out your impacted wisdom tooth could be a wise decision.
Talk to us today, don’t suffer in silence.
So, What’s Next?
If you’re looking to book an appointment for your next dental checkup or if you’re looking to get your wisdom teeth removed. Contact us via our support hotline at 9007 1085 or email us at enquiry@nofrillsdental.com or message us directly to get in touch with our dentists.
We would suggest for you to speak to one of our dentists. Our dental professionals providers are experienced, ready to answer all your queries, and will discuss all the possible treatment options available for you.
At the end of the day, we believe that the right dentist for you is the one who will lay out all your treatment options on the table, allowing you to make informed decisions, while ensuring that your entire treatment process is as enjoyable, comfortable and hassle-free as possible. Good communication between you and your dentist is the best way to ensure a smooth and successful treatment.
In addition, please only proceed with the treatment if you are fully comfortable with the treatment plan proposed by your dental provider.
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