If your dentist recommends that you have your wisdom teeth removed, you probably have a lot of questions, including curiosity about the cost of the procedure. Your dentist can provide you with valuable information for your specific clinical needs, but it can be helpful to have an idea of the cost as you consider your own wisdom teeth extraction. Medical and dental insurance plans often cover the majority of a wisdom tooth extraction, which is considered a medically necessary procedure, though limitations may apply; make sure to check with your insurance provider for these details. If you don’t have dental insurance, you may be considering delaying or avoiding your wisdom tooth extraction procedure, but this can lead to greater problems in the long run, including the possibility of an expensive emergency surgical procedure. It’s best to address wisdom teeth issues as soon as you can, and many dental offices work with third-party financing companies that can help patients manage the costs of procedures like these.
In many cases, wisdom teeth remain in the jaw, below the gums, if there is insufficient room for them to erupt into the mouth. These are known as impacted wisdom teeth. Some wisdom teeth do erupt through the gums and into the mouth, though they can cause issues once they’re erupted, like crowding the existing teeth or growing in at an angle. The average cost for extraction of an erupted wisdom tooth is around $300 per tooth, with a range of around $200 to $700, and this procedure can often be performed by a general dentist, which helps keep the cost manageable. When the wisdom teeth are impacted, you may need to work with an oral surgeon; these specialists generally charge around $550 per tooth, though this cost varies depending on the specific situation. If the impacted tooth is impacted only by the gum tissue and has otherwise begun to erupt through the bone, the cost per tooth averages around $350, and if the impacted tooth is partially erupted but part remains beneath the bone, the average increases to around $450. Extractions for impacted teeth that are fully contained beneath the bone range from $350 to $1,100 per tooth, with an average cost of $550.
Many wisdom teeth extractions are performed with a local anesthetic, but some patients prefer deeper sedation anesthesia, and some clinical cases call for more comprehensive anesthesia, especially when the teeth are impacted. Anesthesia is usually charged based on the duration of sedation, which can add up; in general, it costs about $250 for 15 minutes of sedation anesthesia. In many cases, dentists and oral surgeons can remove multiple wisdom teeth in a single procedure. These multiple-tooth extractions can help reduce the timeframe and cost of the overall procedure, limiting the cost of evaluations, x-rays, and anesthesia, though the cost per tooth remains the same. On average, different types of x-rays range in price from $25 to $250, and CT scans, which may be needed for complex impactions, cost between $150 and $750. If your insurance has maximums that limit the amount covered in a calendar year, or if you don’t have insurance, you may want to look into a dental discount plan. These plans can supplement insurance plans and provide financial assistance when limits are reached, and they can also be used without insurance. While they come with their own fees, some dental discount plans can help patients reduce their costs by as much as 60% and are generally considered to be a good option, especially in light of the potentially limiting costs of wisdom teeth extraction.