Tips For Coping With The Cost of Tooth Extraction

As a working mom, scout leader and a parent with kids in multiple activities, my day is pretty busy.  In fact, I rarely get the chance to slow down long enough to catch my breath these days.  If you’re like me, when life moves at a speed less than 100 miles per hour, it almost feels like something is wrong.

My life is definitely a far cry from “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”, in fact it plays out more like “Lifestyles of the Stressed and Over committed”.  If you can relate, then this post is for you.

As an oral surgery professional, I’ve learned a few things that are absolute truths when it comes to tooth extractions, dental emergencies and the unexpected.

Your Teeth Will Almost Always Choose the Most Inconvenient Time to Rebel Against You

If you have a big life event coming up soon, are traveling out of the country or getting married, you might want to schedule a dental check- up before the big day.  For some reason, painful or unsightly dental emergencies such as an abscessed tooth, fractured tooth or broken dental crown always seem to happen right before a big event.  Perhaps it’s the added stress surrounding the event which exacerbates an existing problem.  One thing is for certain when it comes to tooth extractions- they are almost never expected by the patients.  It also seems extremely predictable that problems such as toothaches, swelling and abscess begin late on Friday nights, causing their victims to cope with pain and discomfort all weekend long until their dentist office opens on Monday morning.  If this happens to you, my advice is to go ahead and call your dentist’s emergency phone number for help and instructions.  If you need to have the tooth extracted, and must be referred to an oral surgeon like Dr. Robert A. Weinstein ask your dentist to call on your behalf to schedule the appointment.  Your dentist can relate the urgency of your situation much more clearly to the oral surgeon’s office.  The chances of getting a same-day appointment for your tooth extraction increase significantly when your dentist makes the call.  Our Dallas Oral Surgery practice makes it our policy to schedule same day tooth extraction appointments whenever possible in any urgent situation.

An Emergency Tooth Extraction Will Happen When Your Wallet is Thinnest

If you have just returned from an expensive vacation, just paid for your daughter’s wedding or have just maxed out your benefits under your dental plan, watch out, because these are financial circumstances which seem to set you up for requiring emergency oral surgery or a tooth extraction.  Again, schedule an appointment with your dentist every 6 months to make sure everything is in tip-top shape.  Catching problems before they become emergencies is the best way to avoid unexpected costs with tooth extraction.  If an emergency does happen, and you find yourself at the oral surgeon’s office with a big toothache and a thin wallet, don’t panic.  Good communication with the business office team is the key to success in this situation.  You would be surprised at the financial resources available to dental patients.  Communicate honestly with the business office team about your limitations.  Ask for options available for deferred payment, interest-free financing and taking advantage of insurance benefits or health savings accounts.  At our North Dallas oral surgery practice, we never want to see a patient leave our office in pain… we’re here to help.  There are several options available to patients who find themselves short on cash and long on dental pain.  Some examples which may be available to you are:

• Interest free financing through Care Credit
• ACH checking account withdrawls (monthly payments)
• Insurance Discounts (Get The Most Out of Your Dental Plan)
• Cash payment discounts
• Payment by HAS

If you find yourself in an emergency dental situation, don’t delay and don’t try to treat yourself at home.  Another thing I’ve learned in oral surgery is that teeth don’t repair themselves and nothing takes care of pain as quickly as eliminating the source of it.

For emergency tooth extraction, oral surgery and dental implants information, contact Dr. Robert Weinstein and his helpful, compassionate team at Texas Wisdom Teeth and Dental Implants.

To apply for dental financing through Care Credit, click here.