<p>Sounds like a great photo opportunity! :)</p>
<p>I'm from London but currently studying in Georgia. </p>
<p>All my wisdom are currently coming through and have been very painful. As sson as I got home for christmas, I got an infection in 2 teeth on the same side of my mouth.</p>
<p>I already had organised a dentists appointment as I was hoping to have them all taken out. But because of the infection he couldn't do it, I was given antibiotics and painkillers, swelling finally went down just in time for christmas.</p>
<p>I definately need all 4 out because I don't have enough room in my mouth, when I had braces I had 4 teeth taken out to make space.</p>
<p>The next time I'll be home will be the summer, but because my teeth are painful I don't want to wait that long.</p>
<p>I was thinking of having them out when I go back to America, but heard it was very expensive, I don't have dental insurance either.</p>
<p>Is there any dental insurance plan I could take out that would cut the costs by a lot and allow me to have my teeth out before the summer?</p>
<p>My youngest was shooting baskets the 2nd day after surgery (no jumping, just shooting). He breezed through it with only a little bleeding and no pain pills after the first few hours. My oldest was in bed and on pain pills a little longer, but he gets creeped out by just the thought of surgery, so he wanted to be asleep/under the influence until all of the bleeding stopped and he felt better. :D</p>
<p>Cream of wheat, pudding, mashed potatoes, milk shake (with a spoon) and jello were big hits for a few days.</p>
<p>Nataor, if you are in college you may have some type of dental insurance through your school. Also, you may be able to have the work done at a much lower cost through a dental college, with students doing the work under supervision.</p>
<p>I'm an old hag who is going to have three of my wisdom teeth out in a few weeks. They say it's worse when you're 40 than when you're 18--more bone has formed around the roots. We'll see. Ugh.</p>
<p>
[Quote]
They say it's worse when you're 40 than when you're 18
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</p>
<p>Generally true if they're impacted. If they're fully erupted and being done for decay or periodontal reasons, may not be so bad.</p>
<p>My H had his wisdom teeth out at 45 (the dentist said they were "rotting in place"). Much faster recovery than either child, partly because he followed instructions carefully.</p>
<p>Natoar: define "very expensive." My S's wisdom teeth, done without insurance, were $1400. The oral surgeon was kind enough to give us $500 off when I asked. (And I didn't beg, or anything like that: I simply said: "we have no dental insurance. Is there a discount available if I pay on the day or surgery?") If your teeth have erupted (which they may have), it may be less than that, as they would be more accessible.</p>
<p>Natoar, my son is in a similar situation. We had x-rays taken last spring but because he had a tumor on the spine at the same time and had to deal with that, I figured since they weren't bothering him to give him a break and do it if needed at Christmas. He is home in Europe and has a dental appt. tomorrow and I am hoping it can all wait until he comes back in August...if not, he will have to have the teeth removed in the states. He leaves for the states Sunday night. His insurance is all here. If that is the case, I hope we can get a break...maybe not.</p>
<p>As far as costs go, we had an interesting experience with my older D while she was at college two years ago. One of her wisdom teeth flared up while at school which was located in a smallish rural town (we live in a suburb in a major metropolitan area). Luckily our family dentist was able to recommend someone in this small town. So, we decided not to pull our daughter out of school and bring her home for the procedure. Compared to the fee incurred by our second D recently near home, on a per-tooth basis, there was an order of magnitude (lower) difference. Now, there may have been differences in the complexity required for each procedure which may have accounted for part of the fee differential---but I think that cost of living in the rural area must enter into the equation. In both cases, I consider my D's to have received excellent care. So, location may be one of the considerations to take into account when gauging affordability.</p>
<p>You're correct, dental costs do vary greatly by location. The insurance companies even reimburse according to zip code!</p>
<p>We just got back from the oral surgeon about an hour ago, where my 15 yo dgtr just had all 4 impacted wisdom teeth removed. As I type this, she is semi full of Sprite, and ice cream, Percoct, Penicillin, and Ibuprofen with an ice pack on one side! Hopefully, she will not need the 4th medicine we have on hand....Phenergan! (for nausea)</p>
<p>Oh and for anyone that does not know, it was $1850.00!! Thank goodness for dental ins. but even so, our part was quite a plenty. But for our daughters, we will do anything!</p>
<p>Here in Alaska my son's extractions (4 impacted wt) ran $2592.00. Thankfully we are triple covered, so even the deductible is covered. He was amazed at the cost, and really amazed when he was told they do about 6 of these a day.</p>
<p>He is in pain, but is on vicodin and following doctors orders. BTW, he was told not to drink carbonated beverages, as they would contribute to the possibility of dry socket. Any wisdom on this?</p>
<p>Hey Seiclan-
All that research on dry socket paid off! :)
Natour-
I've forgotten where in Ga you are, but if you are near the MCG (Medical College of Georgia), I believe they have a dental school there. You might be able to volunteer to be a candidate for thier teaching school, and have the teeth extracted for a very nominal fee. MCG is in Augusta.
<em>edit</em> Unfortunately Emory closed its dental school several years ago. It looks like MCG might have some residency programs in satellite facilities around Georgia, so you might want to peruse their website and see if you can be a "guinea pig" somewhere.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Any wisdom on this?
[/quote]
momof1-
pun intended??? ;)</p>
<p>Wow! I can not believe how many of our kids had their wisdom teeth out in the last several days. My son had his out yesterday. We paid extra for IV sedation and Dexamethasone. </p>
<p>I put ice packs, the flat type like you might use in a lunch box, in tube socks and tied them together, then I put them on him so he looked like he had Goofy ears. I used a hair-tie to tie the toes of the socks so they would stay against his cheeks. It was a wonderful photo-op and we took a few. He looks amazing today. There is barely any swelling. His teeth were impacted and it looked like he might have a couple of black eyes last night, but this morning he looked fine. He is in the den right now happily playing his guitar and even has company over. </p>
<p>I made him stay on the sofa when he got home and kept him in a semi-reclining position, I applied ice on and ice off every 20 minutes, like clock work for 7 hours. The results speak for themselves. I rarely get a chance to baby my baby, so I rather enjoyed doting on him for a while.</p>
<p>Good luck to all the rest of you out there who are facing this procedure.</p>
<p>jym626-</p>
<p>sorry, not that clever! :)</p>
<p>My son wouldn't have his out his senior year in high school. Always too busy. Ended up at West Point and one of them got infected about 6 weeks ago. He had only that one out on a Friday - instead of all four - BECAUSE HE HAD A BOXING MATCH ON MONDAY!!! If he missed the match, he wouldn't have gotten credit for Boxing (it's actually a credit course at West Point). Hopefully he'll the others out soon. Charge to us - $0 - done by an Army doctor.</p>
<p>D had her 4 teeth out on Wednesday afternoon. I caught her eating popcorn, of all things, on Thursday evening. With all of the AP courses and smarts, you just have to wonder about common sense.</p>
<p>Hah! That's a good one. Those pesky husks are hard enough to get out of teeth, much less gaping holes in the gums! I'm sure you had her rinse well and all will be fine. </p>
<p>Know what my son has loved today (about 18 hours after 4 removals)? Corned Beef Hash. Found it while rooting around in the pantry. Whatever. More room in the pantry!</p>
<p>I still have my wisdom teeth ( had four bicuspids- cuspids?) out when I first got orthodontics
D- @ 23 has had two wisdom teeth out several years ago- and is going to have the other two out this break before she goes back to school while she is still on our dental ins.
she didn't have much problem last time- ( didn't have them all out at same time- since weren't causing any problem- apparently nursing for years helped!) swishing ( gently) with saline does too.</p>
<p>Geez, I'm envious of those whose kids are eating popcorn and hash. My son is starting day #4 and I've just picked up an Rx for Vicodin (since the Percoset hasn't touched his pain).</p>
<p>I have a wonderful tip, though, for those who have not yet gone through this. It worked like a charm on day #1 when you have to ice the face. Have the patient wear a hooded sweatshirt tied fairly snugly around the face and tuck a bag of frozen peas into the hood on either side of the face. These "ice packs" stay securely in place; no need to hold them or readjust.</p>