Wisdom Teeth

Taking Advantage of a Discount Dental Plan For Wisdom Teeth Extraction: Aetna Dental Access

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Wisdom teeth removal can be expensive for many patients. On top of this many people do not have dental insurance, with many people also not having health insurance. Even if you have both dental insurance and medical (health) insurance many of the costs associated with surgery to remove wisdom teeth will not be covered and you will be responsible for the bill. X-rays and anesthesia can also add to the cost of the surgery. The actual costs of wisdom teeth extraction surgery vary and depend on numerous different factors. I have previously discussed this over at http://www.teethremoval.com/wisdom_teeth_extraction_cost.html. In this post I talk about how an impacted wisdom tooth can cost between $100 to $878 to be removed. Some of this cost depends on the location you live in and the skills and experience of the surgeon. In addition, the cost … Read more

The Misbehaving Tooth Fairy

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In the article “The tooth fairy and malpractice” by Sian Ludman, Hamid Daya, Polly S Richards, and Adam Fox, in BMJ Christmas 2012, 345, e3027, a very interesting discussion is made of the tooth fairy. The article states “We are concerned that the actions of the mythical character at the root of this report must be brought to the attention of the medical community, as it seems to represent the first signs of a worrying new trend in malpractice.” The tooth fairy is widely considered to be benevolent but the authors present a disturbing report. A discussion is made of an 8 year old who presented with a foreign body in the left external auditory meatus (which showed up on a CT scan). The image is in the report. The parents of the boy discussed how three years earlier the … Read more

Exploring Giving Antibiotics Before Third Molar Surgery (Wisdom Teeth Removal) in Spain

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An issue that one asks when having third molar surgery (wisdom teeth removal) is one whether should have antibiotics administered before or after surgery (or not at all). See for example http://www.teethremoval.com/antibiotic_resistance.html In a recent article appearing in J Evid Base Dent Pract 2012, issue 12, pp. 149-150, Manal A. Awad, reviewed a study exploring amoxicillin administration to those who were having wisdom teeth extracted. The original study was titled “Efficacy of amoxicillin treatment in preventing postoperative complications in patients undergoing third molar surgery: a prospective, randomized, double-blind controlled study,” by Lopez-Cedrun JL, Pijoan JI, Fernandez S, and Santamaria J, Hernandez G and appeared in the electronic 2011 version pages 5 -14, issue 69, number 6. It is well known that amoxicillin is useful in treating oral infections. In the study 123 healthy patients between the ages of 18 and … Read more

Looking at the Concept of Prevention in Dentistry

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An interesting article written by Jay W. Friedman, DDS, MPH, appears in J Evid Base Dent Pract, vol. 12, pp. 53 – 54, 2012. In the article a discussion of three different types of prevention is made. primary prevention secondary prevention tertiary prevention Primary prevention is described as the well known prevention in which one attempts to not have any dental caries, not have any periodontal disease, and not have any loss of teeth. This form of prevention is when one regularly brushes their teeth, flosses, has a dental cleaning, and radiographs performed. The author discusses how typically dentists recommend 6 month intervals between examinations and cleanings. He then says “Patients who form minimal calculus and have no periodontal disease likewise do not need semiannual prophylaxis, or additional service…Lacking evidence of need, this is not prevention but rather FUN (functionally … Read more

Bupa Ends Covering Wisdom Teeth Extractions Deeming Them Unnecessary

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There is a lot of debate regarding removing asymptomatic third molars (wisdom teeth). Those who argue against removing asymptomatic wisdom teeth (retaining) are often accused of trying to save the insurance industry money (See for example Rogue Dentist’s Crusade), while those who argue for extracting asymptomatic wisdom teeth for preventative purposes are often accused of being interested in making more money due to the commonly used fee for service health care system. Somehow in the hoopla the patient’s health seems to take a back seat to some party making (or saving) money. Recently an article came out in London in the Times titled “Health insurer’s chief takes the knife to ‘unnecessary surgery” by Nic Fildes and Andrew Clark, March 13, 2013. The article opens by saying “Want to get your wisdom teeth extracted? Don’t ask Bupa, which is cutting back on … Read more