Update from 2nd adjustment...

[jaxxie118]

So, I had my second adjustment last week and it went fine. He says my teeth are straightening up and looking great. I'm also going to get a new wire at my next appointment. And he says it's time to get my one tooth pulled. He gave me the number of an oral surgeon but we don't have dental insurance.

My question for you all is: Can a dentist pull a tooth and is it less expensive than with an oral surgeon? And what can I expect afterwards? Do they use local or general anesthesia?

I've never had a tooth pulled so I have no clue what it's like. Any help is definitely appreciated. Thanks!

Jackie

[lionfish]

Jackie, I had a lower wisdom tooth pulled 5 months into treatment. It was a walk in/walk out procedure and I went back to work afterwards. It was done under local anaesthetic by my regular dentist.

The effects of the anaesthetic lasted 4 hours after which I felt a dull sensation in the region of the late lamented tooth, but I wouldn't even call it pain.

As I'm in Oz, costs will be different.

[Gennel]

What tooth are you having pulled? If it's wisdom tooth then you might have to get it pulled by an oral surgeon. I'm in Florida and all the dentist I've asked Do not extract wisdom teeth. I'm sure there are some dentist that do in FLorida but did not find one.

My personal opinion is that an oral surgeon will charge more than a dentist. It depends of the type of anesthesia also. Local anesthesia is much cheaper and does the job just as good. If it's just one tooth then I would honestly suggest getting local anesthesia.
I had 6 teeth pulled in one day and yes I did choose general anesthesia because it was not going to be a 10 min procedure. Since you don't have insurance then you really should choose local anesthesia, it will save you money. There really is no pain after the anesthesia wears off and you just feel like there is a big empty hole there and you will be back to normal in 24 hrs .

Gennel

[KJM]

jaxxie118,
Yes a dentist can remove a tooth. They numb it with novocaine and take it out and I would guess that it was cheaper than an OS. My hubby had 3 of his wisdom teeth taken out by the dentist and the last one had to be taken out by the OS. The last one was the most expensive ( but he had to be put out for it as it had a huge long root and was hard to get out) I cant remember how much any of these actually cost, sorry.

Maybe you can call your dentist and OS and get quotes so you can compare.

[tamsteve]

I have gotten 4 wisdom teeth pulled, and two other teeth pulled. All done by a dentist. I was told i needed an oral suregeon for the wisdom teeth but, i didn't have insurance and it was alot cheaper at a regular dentist. I had shots in my mouth and went home when it was done....no problems

[RainyDay2]

Jaxxie, I just had two bicupids pulled last week by an oral surgeon...my dentist doens't pull teeth (which is kind of weird but anyway) and it was done through local aneshtesia. I was in there 30 minutes tops. Including preparation and wait time for the numbing to take place. The actual tooth extraction took a few minutes for both. Weird. I know the cost is different depending on your geographical location, but mine was about $95 for each tooth. I thought it would be more. Good Luck!

[jaxxie118]

The tooth I'm getting pulled is the upper left cuspid. I called my old dentist that I saw many, many years ago and got some more information. They do pull teeth and it's $131 per tooth. At least that's something we can afford. They use local anesthesia, I made sure to ask, lol.

So, my appointment is next Tuesday at 9:30 AM. I'm kind of glad it's so soon, to get it over with and everything... but on the otherhand, the needle that goes into the gum is the part that is scaring me a bit. Wish me luck. I will let you all know how it goes.

And thank you for the many helpful replies.