Impacted Wisdom Tooth: Surgery and Cost [Philippines]

In my previous blog post — Hidden Costs of Dental Braces in the Philippines (First Year of Experience), I shared some unforeseen expenses associated with getting braces. I even included the cost of impacted wisdom teeth extraction.

Although it’s been months since I had mine extracted, I believe that it’s worth sharing especially to those who do not have the idea about how much this really costs.

[1] What is an Impacted Wisdom Tooth? You might be aware of a wisdom tooth but not an impacted one. According to MayoClinic.org, an impacted wisdom tooth is the “third molar at the back of the mouth that does not have enough room to emerge or develop normally.”

This molar is stuck below the surface of the gums (impacted) and grows at an odd or inappropriate angle, possibly causing complications such as pain, damage to another tooth, decay, and other dental problems.

Upon getting braces, your dentist will recommend extraction of this so to avoid these and future problems and also for the desirable movement of the teeth with braces.

[2] How much does an impacted wisdom tooth extraction cost? In the Philippines, extraction of a wisdom tooth may range from PHP5,000.00 – PHP15,000.00 (or a bit higher) depending on how difficult and complicated the condition is.

You might be surprised by the cost, but the fact is that it falls under dental surgery already. Additionally, wisdom teeth are at the far end of the mouth, and there are cases that dentists need to cut open the gums, remove them and suture the gum back.

In addition to the actual procedure, included in the package are anesthesia injections and other pre-operation medications.

[3] How is the extraction done? I had three impacted wisdom teeth extracted in two separated operations. I had the first one, the easiest to extract in the first month for PHP8,000.00 and the other two for PHP15,000.00 each in the next month.

In most cases, impacted wisdom tooth extractions are not covered by dental and health insurance.

Around thirty minutes before the operations, I was asked to take three meds — antibiotic, painkiller, and something for bleeding. Anesthesia was injected a few minutes before the actual extraction.

It only took around thirty minutes during the first operation, but the two other during the second took almost two hours. The dentist had to cut the crown and pull the other half. There were also additional injections of anesthesia at the middle of the operations.

The good this is that, I did not experience much pain days after the second extraction compared to the first one where I even suspected a dry socket, and I had to file for days of work leaves.

With this, I strongly suggest you plan for the extractions and schedule them during long weekends or holidays.

Impacted wisdom tooth extraction is costly, but it offers many long-term benefits. While this is from a patient’s perspective, hence my own experience, it is strongly suggested that you talk to your dentist for professional advice.