Health Insurance Does Not Pay for Wisdom Teeth Extractions

Having your wisdom teeth removed? Are you wondering if your surgery is covered by health insurance? Probably not...

Most health insurance companies, consider wisdom teeth procedures, an elective surgery. In very rare cases, some medical care can be covered under health insurance policies, but having your wisdom teeth removed isn't one of them. If you want insurance to help you pay off the high cost of having your third molar teeth extracted, dental insurance is really your best option.

I am not an industry expert here, looking to sell you dental insurance either. However, I do work for an Oral Surgeon. Everyday people like you, are disappointed to find out that their health insurance, doesn't pay for teeth period. Even though having your third molar teeth removed, takes surgical precision from an Oral Surgeon; it is how the insurance industry classifies this particular surgery and "codes" it, is what allows them to slip through the loop hole. If you think your health insurance will cover this procedure, it is advised that you obtained that in writing from your health insurance's home office before having the procedure. In other words, do not take your health insurance sales agent word for it that "it's covered." Nine times out of ten, you will get burned by that at the most inopportune time too. It is a very common misconception out there that wisdom teeth are covered by health insurance. However, when it comes time to pay the bill; patients everyday find out at the time of service that they might need to pay upwards to $2100.00 for the procedure, and straight out-of-pocket. So as the old saying goes, "Don't get caught with your pants down."

If you need help paying for wisdom teeth, and do not have dental insurance and it is too late to buy dental insurance, there is a new product out there called Care Credit. Care Credit is a six month same as cash credit agency. They have different policy options, but, this particular policy option is what the Oral Surgeon's office that I work for offers to it's patient. Thus I do have some first hand knowledge of how easy the company is to deal with. If you need help and have a decent credit score already established, this is a good solid option for you to apply for. You will first need to find out if your Oral Surgeon's office carries any Care Credit policies, if they do it is worth applying for. Another bonus of using Care Credit, is that they do report to the Credit Bureau. Therefore, if you pay your bill off within their timeline, potentially your credit rating gets a positive boost.

Having your wisdom teeth removed can be a difficult procedure. Most often if your dentist has referred you to an Oral Surgeon to have your wisdom teeth removed, it is because they do not have the necessary training it takes to be an Oral Surgeon, or your anatomy makes the case a difficult one. Nowadays dentists rarely extract third molar teeth. They are simply too difficult. Often times, third molar teeth are impacted in the jaw, and surrounded by bone. The older we get the harder that bone in our jaw gets, and wisdom teeth often become consolidated with the bone tissue. Which basically means the tooth roots have fused themselves to the jaw bone itself, and no longer have a noticeable tooth socket anymore to work with. When removing wisdom teeth, certain instrumentation is used to elevate the tooth from the tooth socket. When the tooth root becomes fused to the bone, the condition is known as being ankylosis. This condition is an abnormal adhesion of the tooth roots, and rigidity of the jaw bone surrounding it. That is why it is so important to have your wisdom teeth removed ideally around the ages between 18 - 20. Removing wisdom teeth on a forty year old female, is ten times harder than removing the wisdom teeth of an eighteen year old male, and it costs a lot higher too. Find out today, directly from the home office of your health insurance company, whether or not wisdom teeth are covered by your policy. You'll be glad you did.