SubscribeWisdom Tooth Extraction Using Medisave
Posted on Aug 18, 2009 under Health, Information, Medisave Scheme, National Dental Centre, NDC, Singapore, Surgery, Wisdom Tooth Extraction | 19 Comments |
| A wisdom tooth protrudes outwards from the gumline at the back of the lower teeth. Image from Wikipedia |
A few weeks ago, I was feeling pretty helpless about my partially erupted wisdom tooth; helpless because there was nothing much I could do except having it surgically removed. My brother and some of my friends had theirs extracted while they were going through their National Service. It was a brilliant move since they didn’t have to pay for their wisdom teeth extraction; all paid for by the government for serving the nation.
I would have gotten mine done too if it was partially erupted at that time; it didn’t. But I always believe that everything happened for a reason. If I had mine extracted then, I wouldn’t have the chance to help others who are going through or will be going through similar situation. All prices stated hereafter are in Singapore dollar. This may not be applicable to you especially if you are not in Singapore. However, if you know of any affordable ways for wisdom tooth surgery in your country, do feel free to share in the comment area with all of us.
As most of you know, wisdom tooth extraction can be pretty expensive; especially when it needs to be surgically removed. One of my friends had a wisdom tooth surgically removed, in a private practice, for $600. Yes, you read right, just one wisdom tooth.
If a wisdom tooth needs to be surgically removed, the cost for extraction in private practices can vary from as low as $400 to as high as $800. Heard anything higher? That was why I felt helpless since I had to have mine removed.
What I did first was to check with friends who might have good and most importantly – reasonably priced – dentist. That didn’t help much; most have good dentists to recommend but the costs of surgery were almost the same. Next I turned to Googling for extraction that can be done using Medisave. Yes, wisdom tooth surgery can be covered by Medisave now. That can be good news especially if you are a working Singapore citizen. If you are not, you can still use your parents’ Medisave.
If you want to do your wisdom tooth extraction in private practices and want to pay for it using Medisave, you must make sure that the dental clinic is participating in the Medisave Scheme. One private practice which I called does participate in the scheme but it would still cost me around $600-$800.
I have read in one of the forums that the cheapest way is to get a referral letter from Polyclinic (see list of polyclinics with dental facilities near the bottom of the page) to the National Dental Centre (NDC). When you are booking your appointment with the polyclinic, do let them know that you want to get a referral letter to the NDC under subsidised rate.
During the first visit to the NDC, X-ray will be done to see if your wisdom tooth needs to be surgically removed. If it does, they will advice you what to do and do feel free to ask them any questions. “Only day surgery procedures (eg. surgical removal of wisdom teeth) will be covered by Medisave,” according to NDC.
Mine needed to be operated on. I spent about $500 in all sessions with the polyclinic and the NDC and about 80% of that was paid through Medisave. Problem solved. I just wish more people can have more affordable dental care like I did. Do you have similar scheme like Medisave in your country too? Do feel free to share it here so more people can benefit from your sharing.
