This is the easiest way to understand wisdom teeth surgery costs.
At Wisdom Teeth Australia, we are trying to make your specialist wisdom teeth surgery as cheap as possible. Whether you have a simple problem and only need treatment by our specialist registrars, or whether you need a specialist operation becuase of higher surgical risks that have been identified in you, we want to make your surgery as affordable as possible.
We believe you deserve the best treatment possible, and at the most affordable prices.
Both dentists and doctors can refer you to a wisdom tooth specialist.
Your GP can bulk bill you when he gives you a referral. Your dentist cannot bulk-bill your referral, and Medicare does not normally help with routine dentistry procedures anyway.
Without a referral from your doctor or dentist, either we cannot bulk-bill you for your x-rays, or you will not be able to obtain a rebate from Medicare for your consultation with us.
At Wisdom Teeth Australia, because we are specialists, we have dedicated on-site facilities for all your dental x-ray needs... and all of it is BULK-BILLED (and therefore FREE to you).
With our specialists, your wisdom teeth consultation has a FULL Medicare rebate (and FREE to you), but only if you have pre-paid, and only if you take our receipt (after your consultation) to Medicare, with your doctor's referral.
If you don't have a referral to see us from your doctor, your consultation fee CANNOT gain a Medicare rebate.
To keep our consultation fees so low, all consultation fees are pre-paid to secure your consultation appointment with us. This booking fee is $71.40 (for 2012) to gain a 15 minute wisdom tooth consultation.
You can pay for this over the phone with a credit card (+ credit card fee of 2.5%), or you can do it through online banking (when the appointment will be provided only when you have confirmed payment).
If you do not turn up for your consultation, you forfeit this "consultation booking fee", and you will NOT be able to claim an insurance or Medicare refund.
After you have presented for your specialist wisdom tooth consultation, you will be given a receipt for your consultation, and you should expect a FULL rebate from Medicare. But ONLY if you have brought your referral with you.
If you are paying for your consultation fee on the day of the consultation (and therefore have not pre-paid), then your consultation fee with us will be higher than the Medicare rebate (normally $174).
If you have FULL hospital-medical insurance... hospital and theatre fees are paid for by your insurer (and therefore FREE to you).
If you have a lower level of hospital insurance, you may need to pay a Gap fee. You would need to pay this to your private hospital at the time of hospital booking.
If you do not have medical-hospital insurance, hospital and theatre fees will be $1,350.
In Newcastle only, Wisdom Teeth Australia has a dedicated surgical suite. If you are uninsured, and want treatment under local anaesthesia, the surgical-facility fee is a LOW $250.
If you want IV sedation, then we can provide this for an additional fee of $600 (which includes both the IV sedationist fee and the IV sedation equipment surcharge). (Newcastle only)
Anaesthetists charge per 15 minute period. Wisdom teeth surgery generally takes betweeen 30-45 minutes, which means your surgery on average is charged as 3 units ( 3 x 15 minute blocks).
If your surgery takes 2 hours, then you would be charged 8 units.
At Wisdom Teeth Australia, our average anaesthetic care time is 36 minutes. Your anaesthetist has a standard fee of $550, meaning you will be out of pocket $250 (after Medicare and medical insurance have re-paid you ~$300).
If you are having wisdom teeth surgery done by a specialist, in a hospital, and you have full medical insurance, you should expect your out-of-pocket anaesthetist expenses to be $250.
For the cost of removing 4 wisdom teeth, by a Practice Registrar (who has been trained in wisdom teeth surgery by recognised surgical specialists, who is under indirect clinical supervision by our specialists, but who is not a registered specialist surgeon)... Our price at Wisdom Teeth Australia is $1,395.
For the cost of removing 4 wisdom teeth, by a surgical specialist, and regardless of complexity... Our price at Wisdom Teeth Australia is $1,995
Please note that there may be additional procedure costs, but only where they are considered medical, and not dental. Of course, these procedures DO attract both Medicare and Medical Insurance benefits. The video to the right explains this in more depth.
If you are having treatment in our local anaesthesia suite, an additional surgical suite fee applies of $250.
If you have additional treatment needs like bone grafting, cyst removal, infection management, and you have FULL medical-hospital insurance, then we will No-Gap your additional treatment costs... meaning these additional procedures will be FREE to you.
If you need additional procedures, but do not have FULL medical-hospital insurance, then you can elect for treatment in our dedicated surgical suite (Newcastle only). We will also itemise your additional treatment charges under Medicare, so that you can claim direct rebates from Medicare.
Remember wisdom teeth specialists (oral & maxillofacial surgeons) are MEDICAL surgeons, and unlike dentists, they have full Medicare provider rights like any other medical doctor or qualified surgeon.
Normally the visit after your surgery is part of your treatment. So this will also be at no cost to you.
If you continue to have any further issues, our review appointments will be Medicare bulk-billed, and also FREE.
Because you are referred to us by other GP doctors or dentists, we are acting only as your specialist for a specific area of assessment and surgical care. We have a special duty to inform your doctor of all your treatments and assessments and recommendations by us. If you need any of our records to help you with gaining a second opinion, then we will be more than happy to help you.
Although we don't mind that you may be getting treatment elsewhere, we still have to officially notify your referring doctor that you are seeking a second opinion, or even potentially having treatment with another doctor (this is called a "discharge notice"), which simply means we are passing your care back to your referring doctor, in order that he can follow up on all your specialist opinions.
This procedure is called maintaining "continuity of care".
Please don't be upset that we are doing this, and of course we are more than happy to see you again if you wish to return to us.
As a practice we think your clinical care is extremely important, and if you are gaining a second opinion we will also directly pass your records on... but only to another surgical specialist who we know has the training and ability to help you gain the very highest care, and always with the advice and oversight of your original referring doctor.
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Wisdom teeth are your third molars. They erupt when you reach "the age of wisdom". Read more...
