Do I Need Oral Surgery for My Wisdom Teeth? Can I Get Dental Coverage for It?

By Susan Braden
Published Sep 03 2010

Wisdom teeth are your final set of molars, usually not appearing until your late teens or early 20s. When they enter properly, they improve the efficiency of your chewing and are an asset to your mouth. More often than not, however, these teeth enter misaligned and must be removed, which may be an expensive procedure if you do not have dental coverage.

The Difficulties of Misalignment 

If you are like a majority of people, your wisdom teeth will not come in properly. They may erupt angled toward or away from your second molars, enter horizontally, or angle inward and outward.

When improperly aligned, they crowd nearby teeth, leading to tooth or nerve damage. In some cases, they also cause increased decay in your other molars. If your wisdom teeth remain partly or fully entrapped in the soft tissue of your jawbone or just partially break through your gum, they are called impacted. If a wisdom tooth is only partially erupted, bacteria are more likely to enter the opening, leading to a greater chance of decay and infection.

Do I Need Them Removed? 

When these teeth are misaligned, they can cause a domino effect that compromises the health of your entire mouth. Your dentist is the best person to determine if they need to be removed. Upon examination, he or she can determine their alignment and whether or not they are impacted. In addition, your dentist can let you know if surgery is necessary, and how soon it is needed.

In many cases, dentists recommend removal of one or more of these teeth as a preventive measure to prevent any future problems in your mouth. Your dentist may encourage you to get the procedure over with now rather than later if you are young, since extraction is often more painful for older patients.
 

Do I Need Surgery?

If you need to have one or more of your wisdom teeth taken out, the procedure can vary from a simple extraction to full surgery under anesthesia. The type of procedure you need depends on the position of each wisdom tooth. 

• If the tooth is fully visible and completely erupted through your gum, a general dentist can quickly and easily remove it without surgery.


• If, however, your tooth is impacted under your gum and imbedded in your jawbone, it will require more complicated intervention. A gum incision will be made and the bone that lies over your tooth will be removed. The impacted tooth is then taken out, often in small sections to minimize the amount of overlying bone that must be sacrificed. This complex procedure often requires an oral surgeon.

Recovery Time

How quickly you recover will depend on the severity of your extraction. In general, you will probably experience mild bleeding, facial swelling, and mild to moderate pain. If your tooth or teeth were impacted, your oral surgeon may prescribe strong medicine to make you more comfortable. You will be given a complete set of after-care instructions which you should closely follow in order to ensure that complications do not develop.
 

Can I Get Dental Coverage for This?

This kind of extraction can take a major hit to your budget, particularly if your teeth are impacted and you need to see an oral surgeon. 

• If you are already have traditional dental insurance, you should check with your carrier to see if dental coverage is available for this procedure. The extent of coverage varies from one insurer to another.


• If you do not have traditional dental coverage or if you need additional coverage, consider an increasingly popular alternative: the discount dental plan. This patient-centered model works because thousands of dentists and oral surgeons have banded together to provide premium care to their patients at a lower price. 


• Discount plans like the Careington 500 Series can greatly reduce your cost, discounting anywhere from 20-60% off depending on the state of each wisdom tooth. Even if your extraction requires an oral surgeon, the plan will discount a flat 20% off the costs at a provider in-network. Whatever the condition of your wisdom teeth, this plan can offer significant savings.

A wisdom tooth extraction may not be something to look forward to, but is a necessary rite of passage for most people. If you and your dentist believe this is a necessary step for you, be sure to do all you can to make the procedure as cheap and painless as possible. Affordable dental coverage can make the costly operation much easier to bear.