Health Dentists

[electricfeel]

Hospital fees for day surgery are still pretty expensive because the pricey bit is booking the theatre.

Were you referred to the oral surgeon by your dentist? Some dentists are happy to do the operation themselves in the chair if it's not complicated, and I gather that is substantially cheaper.

Perhaps I'll find out how much the hospital fees are and then I'll decide. I've already booked the appointment but haven't submitted any forms yet or made any payments, so I can easily cancel it for now and go for a cheaper option now that I realise I can do that. I was referred by my dentist but she never suggested that she could remove them herself. I think she was kind of ripping me off as well - getting me to do everything without telling me the price until I had to pay and realised I racked up a $300 bill, when I came in for just a clean up.

 

[HARKER]

I had root canal work that went very wrong.

Was sent to an endodontist by one very nervous dentist who bit off more than he could chew (sorry for the pun)

Spent three hours in chair of horror that I wouldn't wish upon anyone. Unforgettable pain in the first hour and lost all strength for the next two.

 

[rocker_oz33]

I really dislike them.

 

[lemon chicken]

I worked and managed a dental surgery for 3 years so i got used to the environment. Went in knowing nothing about dental work and left knowing way too much.

Any expansion on this? I wonder how much dental work some people get done is actually needed. Remember when I was a kid they kept on putting fillings in all the time. I havent been to a dentist in about 15 years and havent had any pain issues with teeth since buying a good electric toothbrush and using mouthwash.

 

[Hlebalicious]

Any expansion on this? I wonder how much dental work some people get done is actually needed. Remember when I was a kid they kept on putting fillings in all the time. I havent been to a dentist in about 15 years and havent had any pain issues with teeth since buying a good electric toothbrush and using mouthwash.

Dentists like any business will try to maximize their profits but very few will actually make you get a procedure done that you don't need as the potential repurcusions are not worth it.

However what they will do is throw in a couple of x-rays and always recommend a clean before any major work gets done so while you would technically need those extras people wouldnt come into a clinic just for x-rays so it adds a few extra dollars in their pocket. Any other questions I'd be happy to answer to the best of my knowledge.

 

[lincsPJ]

Dentists like any business will try to maximize their profits but very few will actually make you get a procedure done that you don't need as the potential repurcusions are not worth it.

However what they will do is throw in a couple of x-rays and always recommend a clean before any major work gets done so while you would technically need those extras people wouldnt come into a clinic just for x-rays so it adds a few extra dollars in their pocket. Any other questions I'd be happy to answer to the best of my knowledge.

a large problem with dentistry, is that the general public knows very little about it.

i'm a dentist, fire me you questions and your hate mail! i'll do my best to answer it, if anyone cares.

 

[Atley]

I need to harden up and book an appointed even though its going to be painful physically and financially.I have private health not sure how much dentistry covers though..

Whats a rough price for a filling these days? If anyone knows a good dentist in Adelaide Western Suburbs that would be great.

 

[BT13]

I have to get all four wisdom teeth removed under general and it's going to cost me a ****load. It's $1400 for the extraction, not including the fee for the anaesthetist ($200-400) and hospital fee (however much that will cost). How much has it cost for others who've had the same procedure? Why does it cost so freaking much!!!

Im getting all four of my wisdom teeth removed at the end of June. Getting it done under local anesthetic. Will cost $1600, as opposed to getting it done under general anesthetic, about $3000. Surgeon told me the hospital fee ranges from $800-1500 depending on the hospital, said you are in hospital for maybe 5-6 hours. also said you are able to claim some of the anesthetists fee back through medicare

 

[electricfeel]

Im getting all four of my wisdom teeth removed at the end of June. Getting it done under local anesthetic. Will cost $1600, as opposed to getting it done under general anesthetic, about $3000. Surgeon told me the hospital fee ranges from $800-1500 depending on the hospital, said you are in hospital for maybe 5-6 hours. also said you are able to claim some of the anesthetists fee back through medicare

Cheers for the info. I've given it some thought and will cancel the appointment for now and book again at a later date and probably do my research a bit better and try and get it done for cheaper. My wisdom teeth weren't even debilitating at all and I think i've had a sharp pain maybe once in my life, so I can afford to wait.

 

[Leper]

A good idea for anyone who needs any significant dental work done (eg. wisdom teeth extractions; root canal; crowns) is to go to Bangkok and get it done there. Chances are you'll get it done (including flights) for much less than Aus.

 

[Thistle]

Why is removing wisdom teeth such a big thing in Aus? Everyone I know from the UK still has theirs. inb4englishteeth

 

[Kram]

Went up about to Perth a month ago from the bush to get my teeth cleaned and a check at 4:15 on a Friday, Even I thought "what time do they finish, is that enough time??" She done the bottom ones and about 4:50 she goes you run out of time today will have to come back again.. Charged us for it.. Then I went back on the Friday just gone and another lady did the whole lot again and then charged us for another visit!!

What a load of shit, I have insurance but I only get one free clean per year so it used my gap credit so I then had to pay $45 for the check up. To make an appointment for a country person that's come a fair way and then not honour it is bad enough but to essentially charge them twice because they stuffed up by not allowing enough time to do it before knock off time is a joke.

 

[Kram]

Why is removing wisdom teeth such a big thing in Aus? Everyone I know from the UK still has theirs. inb4englishteeth

From what I gather taking them out or not is just a matter of opinion, there are risks either way I think.

 

[BT13]

Cheers for the info. I've given it some thought and will cancel the appointment for now and book again at a later date and probably do my research a bit better and try and get it done for cheaper. My wisdom teeth weren't even debilitating at all and I think i've had a sharp pain maybe once in my life, so I can afford to wait.

the two in the top of my mouth have broken through and have to come out, the bottom 2 arent an issue now, but will be in the future so may aswell get them out.

 

[electricfeel]

the two in the top of my mouth have broken through and have to come out, the bottom 2 arent an issue now, but will be in the future so may aswell get them out.

Only one of my wisdom teeth has partially ruptured through but the others aren't a problem at all. Even the one that has come out hasn't been a problem. I don't have much time/money at the moment so maybe even sometime at the end of the year will be better.

 

[Doss]

I've never had an issue going to the dentist, luckily.

I've had the same dentist my entire life, which probably helps.

I had five teeth (four wisdoms and an extra 33rd tooth at the back) removed when I was 18, under general anaesthetic. Because the roots of the wisdoms had wrapped themselves around my other teeth, it was quite a tedious operation and took two hours.

Recovery took two weeks.


Aside from that though, I've been lucky to have avoided problems in that area.

 

[lincsPJ]

From what I gather taking them out or not is just a matter of opinion, there are risks either way I think.

often it's pretty clear cut, but you're right - there are many 5050 calls on wisdom teeth. generally if they're entirely under the bone and don't have a cyst or infection around them (and the patient os over 25), then i'd probably leave them.

if they are half out, or cause regular inflammation/infection/pain, or are impacted against the tooth in front (which can decay it and you end up losing both in 10 years time), then you have them out.

risks with removing them mainly revolve around damaging the nerve that runs near most people's lower wisdoms. mind you, it's a low risk in safe hands.

oh and the younger you have them out, the easier it is.

 

[lincsPJ]

A good idea for anyone who needs any significant dental work done (eg. wisdom teeth extractions; root canal; crowns) is to go to Bangkok and get it done there. Chances are you'll get it done (including flights) for much less than Aus.

ha yeh that old chestnut.

it's a long way to go back for a warranty job if (ie when) something goes wrong.

 

[Nostradumbass]

I had my 2 bottom wisdom teeth come through but one started to hurt. Went for an xray and the dentist said my 2 top wisdom teeth had fully formed inside my gum and were growing sideways....wtf.

Had all four cut out.

 

[Leper]

ha yeh that old chestnut.

it's a long way to go back for a warranty job if (ie when) something goes wrong.

Without checking, I assumed you're the guy who siad he's a dentist, and hence have a pecuniary interest here in making such a comment.

Warranty job? I'd love to hear from any folk who've been back to a dentist and had them do rework for free... it must happen, but I'd imagine a filling falling out (or an extraction finding its way back in?) would be "not my fault" (eg. you must have chewed on a humbug).

I've lived in Bankkok for 4 years (and other parts of Asia for more) and the health care there, with western trained doctors / dentists, is brilliant. As an example, my son was born there in good hands after an emergency caesar. If the problem hadn't have been detected he may not have survived. Not to say it wouldn't have been handled well in Aus, but who knows.

But yeah... play on with the "Asian medical system is cheap so must be totally shit" type rhetoric.

 

[lincsPJ]

Without checking, I assumed you're the guy who siad he's a dentist, and hence have a pecuniary interest here in making such a comment.

Warranty job? I'd love to hear from any folk who've been back to a dentist and had them do rework for free... it must happen, but I'd imagine a filling falling out (or an extraction finding its way back in?) would be "not my fault" (eg. you must have chewed on a humbug).

I've lived in Bankkok for 4 years (and other parts of Asia for more) and the health care there, with western trained doctors / dentists, is brilliant. As an example, my son was born there in good hands after an emergency caesar. If the problem hadn't have been detected he may not have survived. Not to say it wouldn't have been handled well in Aus, but who knows.

But yeah... play on with the "Asian medical system is cheap so must be totally shit" type rhetoric.

haaaang on. I didn't say it's completely shit. there are shit dentists in australia as well. fact of life is that things can go wrong, even with expensive dentistry in good hands. you mentioned a filling and an extraction. can you enlighten me on the financial benefit of flying to Thailand for a couple of hundred bucks worth of treatment? i'm talking about the failures of implants, crowns, bridges and root canal treatments. even the best specialist dentists have things that go wrong - implants not integrating, porcelain fractures on crowns, root fractures and accessary canals missed in endodontics... there is a mighty long list of variables in dentistry. and like all industries, people who aren't trained in it, don't understand it.

it's the people that fly specifically for complex treatment off a whim and fly home that are a concern.. who does the recalls and followups? who does the 6mthly checking of their complex surgery? the big cases are cowboy stuff and the people getting the treatment don't really understand what they're in for. (it'll last forever, right?)

but then maybe i'll fly my wife to Thailand to have our next child! Or not

 

[Caesar]

The best advice I ever received about medical treatment is never go to anyone who hasn't been personally recommended by a colleague that you trust. For that reason alone, I doubt I'd ever get treatment overseas.

Medicos are a small community. They serve on professional disciplinary boards, attend conferences together and gossip about one another. The good ones fix the bad ones' work. They know who the crap doctors and dentists are (and there are quite a few out there).

Patient recommendations are a lot less reliable. Even bad doctors/dentists do some decent work.

 

[Whats a Battle]

Why is removing wisdom teeth such a big thing in Aus? Everyone I know from the UK still has theirs. inb4englishteeth

UK guidelines for removal of wisdom teeth are very strict compared to what we have here (gross caries or 2 or more cases of pericoronitis I think).

Any expansion on this? I wonder how much dental work some people get done is actually needed. Remember when I was a kid they kept on putting fillings in all the time. I havent been to a dentist in about 15 years and havent had any pain issues with teeth since buying a good electric toothbrush and using mouthwash.

This was probably the case a while back in the 70s and 80s, but it was probably more that the fillings themselves were a lot larger than they needed to be. These days dentists try to remineralise the decay before it becomes cavitated, or restore with a filling which removes as little natural tooth structure as possible. You'll see in middle aged people that they often have these massive fillings, and these caused all sorts of problems with fractures etc. My uncle got a small chip on the corner of his right front tooth when he was a teenager, went to the Melbourne Uni dental school and a student put a crown on. These days with minimal intervention dentistry you'll get a massive kick up the arse by AHPRA/whoever if you try that.

A good idea for anyone who needs any significant dental work done (eg. wisdom teeth extractions; root canal; crowns) is to go to Bangkok and get it done there. Chances are you'll get it done (including flights) for much less than Aus.

Lolno. Some people might think that Aussie dental work is like a BMW and Thailand dental work is like a Ford (where the car is 80% as good for much less, so it's not worth it to spend the extra). Really though Aussie dental work is like a Ford and Thailand dental work is like a Great Wall (yes it's cheaper but it's 1000x shitter). I've seen people with implants done in Thailand and the attempt at osseointegration was literally a screw in the bone. I've seen restorations where the margins look like they were prepared by a 3 year old (not to mention the awful attempts at 'aesthetics').