Wisdom teeth removal costs
How much does wisdom teeth removal cost?
At Y3 Smiles Dental in Broadmeadows, a straightforward wisdom tooth extraction is from $400. Surgical removal is quoted once your dentist has seen the x-ray, because the angle and the roots decide the work involved. You get a written, itemised quote before anything is booked.
Why is there no single price?
Wisdom teeth are the one treatment where the same words cover very different work. One tooth is fully through, has a clear path out and takes minutes. The one beside it is lying sideways under bone, has curved roots and has to be divided to come out at all. Both are "wisdom tooth removal". Only an x-ray tells us which one you have, which is why the quote follows the consultation rather than the phone call. What the hub explains about wisdom teeth removal is the clinical side of the same question.
What changes the total?
- Simple or surgical. A tooth that can be lifted out is a different fee from one that needs the gum opened, bone removed and the tooth divided.
- How many teeth. Four teeth in one appointment is quoted differently from one tooth at a time.
- Upper or lower. Upper wisdom teeth are often more straightforward than lower ones.
- Imaging. A wide x-ray of the whole jaw is standard before removal. A small number of cases need a 3D scan, which is taken at an imaging provider and billed by them, not by us.
- Whether an anaesthetist is involved. Their fee is separate from ours and set by them.
- Follow-up. Most people need a healing check or stitches out, which is included in the quote when it applies.
Prices are a guide and shown as a starting point. Your final fee depends on your clinical needs and is confirmed in a written quote before treatment begins.
What do the fees look like?
These are starting fees at Y3 Smiles Dental. The figure for your teeth is confirmed in writing after the consultation.
| What | Fee | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Consultation and assessment | From $65 | Examination, x-ray review and a written plan before anything is booked |
| Simple wisdom tooth extraction | From $400 | A tooth that is fully through and can be lifted out |
| Surgical wisdom tooth removal | Assessed individually | Quoted once your dentist has seen the angle and the roots |
| All four wisdom teeth | From $1,800 | Where they are removed together and the cases are straightforward |
| Sedation | Quoted by the anaesthetist | Booked separately; the anaesthetist bills their own fee |
Which item numbers might be on your invoice?
Funds work out what they pay from the item numbers in the Australian Schedule of Dental Services. Ask us for the ones that apply to you and ring your fund before you book:
- 011 or 013 the examination, depending on whether it is a full assessment or a focused one
- 037 the wide panoramic x-ray of the whole jaw
- 022 a smaller intraoral x-ray, per image
- 311 removal of a tooth, the simple extraction item
- 322 surgical removal of a tooth where the gum is lifted to reach it
- 324 surgical removal where bone is taken away and the tooth divided, the most involved of the surgical items
Surgical removal has several items and which one applies depends on how much bone work is needed, so your written quote names the exact item for each tooth rather than a general one.
How does your health fund help?
Wisdom teeth removal usually sits under oral surgery or major dental rather than general dental. That often means a separate annual limit, a higher level of extras cover and sometimes a waiting period, so it is worth a phone call to your fund before the appointment is booked rather than after. We claim on the spot through HICAPS, so you pay the difference on the day. See health funds at Y3 Smiles Dental.
Can you spread the cost?
Yes. Afterpay Pay in 4, humm and TLC are available, each subject to its own approval and terms. humm and TLC arrange credit, so fees apply and interest may apply. Our payment options page sets out how each one works, and how our fees work covers written quotes and item numbers generally.
Is it worth doing it now or waiting?
If the tooth is causing trouble, waiting usually costs more rather than less. Repeated infections mean repeated appointments, and decay that starts on the tooth in front turns a wisdom tooth problem into treatment on a tooth you actually need. Removal also tends to get more involved as the roots develop.
If the tooth is not causing trouble, the honest answer is that there is nothing to buy. We will say so and keep an eye on it at your check-ups.
Why do cheap quotes get revised?
A fee quoted without seeing the x-ray is quoted for the easy version. If the tooth turns out to be impacted, the price changes, usually on the day, when you are least able to think it over. We would rather look first, tell you which of your teeth are the awkward ones, and give you a figure you can hold us to. If anything changes once treatment has started, we stop, explain and re-quote before going on. For what the appointment itself is like, see what happens on the day.
Other questions people ask
Why can you not quote me over the phone?
Because the fee follows the x-ray, not the tooth's name. A wisdom tooth standing straight and one lying sideways under the bone are different pieces of work. A number given before we have seen the film would be a guess, and guesses get revised.
Is the consultation charged separately?
Yes. The consultation is from $65 and covers the examination, the x-ray review and a written plan. It is what makes an accurate quote possible.
Is it cheaper to have all four out at once?
Usually, yes, when the cases are straightforward: all four together is from $1,800, against a per-tooth fee. It also means one recovery instead of two. Whether it suits you is a clinical and a personal decision, not only a cost one.
What if I want to be asleep for it?
That can be arranged. A visiting registered specialist anaesthetist attends the clinic on days set aside for sedation and provides IV sedation or a general anaesthetic. It is booked in advance, we ask you to commit before we organise it, and they set and bill their own fee, which is not part of our quote.
Do health funds treat this as major dental?
Often as oral surgery or major dental rather than general dental, which can mean a different annual limit and sometimes a waiting period. Ring your fund with the item numbers before you book.
Can I pay it off?
Afterpay Pay in 4, humm and TLC are available, each subject to its own approval. humm and TLC arrange credit, so fees apply and interest may apply.