Wisdom teeth taken out then off to camping? (hurts, pain, dentist)
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On the 16th I'm supposed to get my wisdom teeth taken out. One is cracked and the others all have cavities and slowly pushing some other teeth outward. The cracked one hurts off and on. My real dentist appoint isn't until June 10. Well the pain got to be unbearable (for 8 hours at least) last night. Found a dentist opened Saturday (today) and went in as a emergency dental appointment. They were very understanding and squeezed me in and after a few minutes of prodding they said the 4 wisdom teeth had to go and 6 needed filled for cavities (crowns perhaps....not sure what they are called). I could care less about the wisdom teeth....do what you gotta do so I'm not in pain.
Have a few questions though.
1. I will have to take the day off work on the 16th because I work in a warehouse and the constant bending over can cause blood to rush to the head and might cause a dry socket....from what I hear I will glady take a day off if I can avoid a dry socket. I am though supposed to go camping with some friends that friday-Sunday. From what I've seen and heard you will look like a chipmunk after it is over and the last thing you will want to do is be outdoors 50 miles from a dentist if something were to happen. Hiking with pain meds....doesn't sound like a good idea. I'm sure my friends will be pissed off, but this is the earliest they can do and if I keep having toothaches ill glady skip the trip if need be. What do you think?
2. Will they "put me under"? My mom in her late 30's at the time had hers taken out. She said she was awake just numbed and they were yanked out. Ughhh. I'm 23 and 3 are "surgical extractions" and the 1 is a simple extraction. I just want to know what to expect? Can I drive home?
3. I mentioned to my mom the cost without insurance it is $315 for the surgical and $152 for the simple extraction. So over 1k before insurance. Now after insurance it is $57.60 is all I pay for the wisdom teeth taken out. She was talking how they only pay up to 1k per person for dental insurance. She can't be right. 1k covers jack crap. If so I have to pay out of pocket for the 6 teeth that have cavities! I think she is clueless on this part. 1k won't do anything nowadays.
Insurance: It depends on the insurance policy. Mine doesn't have a cap, but it doesn't cover very much and what it does cover, is only at 80%. Some policies have very low caps, but are dirt cheap (less than $10/month). Many of those cheapo policies DO also cover things like once-yearly cleanings, and every-other-year full set of x-rays, with no co-pay and no out-of-pocket or deductible. Other policies might involve in-network pricing, even on procedures that aren't covered at all. So while an uninsured person or someone with a different policy might have to pay $500 for "procedure B," the dentist agrees with the insurance company, that he will only charge you $395. You'd need to check with your dental insurance plan documentation, or call their patient services department to find out the exact details and limitations of your policy.
Post-wisdom-removal hiking: Probably not the brightest idea, that soon after. Even if they turn out to be simple extractions, you'll be sore -enough- that it might lessen your enjoyment of the trip. If the surgery does require that you be given twilight or "conscious sedation" anasthesia, and cutting into the gum to extract pieces of broken tooth, then you'll probably need at least a couple more days before you can do any kind of strenuous exercise (including hiking). Basically - if you had the extractions done on a Tuesday, you'd probably be fine for a 2-day hike on a Saturday. The narrower the gap, the less likely you'll be up for it.
Almost all of those questions are best answered by the dentist who will perform the services, anything else is just guessing or anecdotal and worthless.
Try to remember something, especially when it comes to dental health: The dentist who will perform the services will answer your questions for free. The dental health care professionals have a vested interest in making your experience as positive as possible because they will be on the receiving end if things don't work out.
You'll get some professional sounding advice from resident experts right here and it is also free.
Your questions and concerns are valid but beyond the ability of anyone (means everyone) here to answer correctly. Were this something about over the counter teeth whitening or something similar, sure, ask away and even seriously consider the opinions. On this subject where you are betting your health, do yourself a favor and stay away from internet dentists.
The only question that remains then is who do you think will help you in a time of need? The dental health professionals or the people here saying and advising on things they either experienced or more likely just read about somewhere?
The dentist who performs the service is -not- the person to ask about his insurance maximum payouts. He should check his insurance policy, to see what -his- insurance policy covers, and doesn't cover or call their patient services department. You don't need to be a dental health professional to know that, internet or otherwise.
Telling the OP to ask his dentist about something his dentist isn't qualified to answer, isn't going to get him the answers he seeks.
Also, he had his procedure on the 16th. I'm sure by now he's already figured out what is, and isn't covered.
The dentist who performs the service is -not- the person to ask about his insurance maximum payouts. He should check his insurance policy, to see what -his- insurance policy covers, and doesn't cover or call their patient services department. You don't need to be a dental health professional to know that, internet or otherwise.
Telling the OP to ask his dentist about something his dentist isn't qualified to answer, isn't going to get him the answers he seeks.
Also, he had his procedure on the 16th. I'm sure by now he's already figured out what is, and isn't covered.
Do you have a reading comprehension problem? I specifically said that "almost all" the questions the OP had were best answered by the dental health professional (which you are not) providing the services.
What does almost all mean to you?
I didn't tell the OP to ask his dentist about anything insurance related, goes back your reading comprehension issues which seem to come up quite often as others have noted.
How would you know he's figured out what and what isn't covered and what does that have to do with the correct answers? Absolutely nothing. Even so, the dentist or their front desk personnel can also provide him with the correct contacts for his insurance which he might not have since he came here asking questions. So now asking the dentist is correct even for ALL the questions.
To recap, I specifically said for the dental health related issues, the dental health professional was the proper source for information. Those questions made up the "almost all" portion of his post.
Next time, get your accusations right before you post them.
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