How much does wisdom tooth extraction cost in Singapore?

Wisdom teeth can be removed either surgically or non-surgically , and therefore there can be a wide variation to the fees, mostly according to: the complexity of the case, the experience and reputation of the dentist and whether or not you are thinking of going to a private or public institution.

My esteemed colleague, Dr Joanne Lam has answered beautifully in her post on wisdom tooth extraction costs in Singapore here.

Credit to Dr Lam for doing all the necessary research to give you a good idea of the wisdom tooth extraction costs in Singapore and factors that affects the costs.

I would just like to add in a few extra thoughts:

1. An experienced and reputable general dentist should be able to perform wisdom tooth removal and extraction competently and safely without having to refer to an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, especially if the case is simple to moderately difficult. Typically, Oral and Maxillofacial surgeons handle the most complex of wisdom teeth surgeries. That is why they are specialists ! Seek the opinion of your general dentist to see if your case is easy or complex and to see if your condition can be managed by him/her. However, it is also your choice to go directly to the specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon if that is your preference.

2. If you urgently need to have your wisdom teeth extracted, it is often faster and more convenient for you to get it done in a private practice. The wait to see the dentist in government institutions may put off some patients. Many know that sometimes it takes weeks or even months to get an appointment to see the government dentists.

3. Many of my patients have considered making a claim against their hospitalisation insurance to see if they can defray the cost of having wisdom teeth surgery done. The catch is that it has to be done in a hospital setting and staying overnight for observation is sometimes necessary. The success of such claim submissions cannot be guaranteed and its on a case by case basis.

4. In my practice, the range for non-surgical wisdom teeth extractions is $200-$600 depending on complexity

5. In my practice, the range for surgical wisdom teeth extractions is $800-$1500 depending on complexity.

Having said that, it is now up to you to do your research and to find an experienced and reputable dental surgeon that you have confidence in to do the wisdom tooth removal for you.

Wishing you all the best.

Kind Regards,

Dr Gerald Tan

Hi Karen

There is a wide range of fees for wisdom tooth removal. Here in Singapore the costs can range anywhere from $150 - $2000 from a simple wisdom tooth extraction to a complicated wisdom tooth surgical removal.

You may be able to use Medisave towards a partial claim if the removal requires surgery ie: drilling of bone to remove the tooth or broken decayed wisdom teeth.

Some of my patients also wish to have removal of wisdom teeth under intravenous (IV) sedation or general anaesthesia (GA). This is of course dependent on how nervous one is. However there are certain complicated cases where I would recommend IV sedation or GA. Naturally I would need to assess you in my clinic and do an xray to confirm if your wisdom tooth indeed needs removal and if it has affected the 2nd molar in front of it.

For complex wisdom teeth sometimes I might do a CT scan as part of the diagnostic workup, This is especially crucial if your wisdom tooth is very close to the nerve that supplies sensation to your lip.

This allows me to plan how I best can remove the wisdom tooth with the least risk possible The CT scan is akin to a map - so that I can study your wisdom tooth in 3 dimensions and remove it without any form of nerve damage.

A wisdom tooth can be removed as quickly as 3 to 7 minutes and as long as 2 hours (from what I hear). The quicker the surgery is completed - typically the recovery rate is much quicker and with less swelling and mostly less pain.

Hence you will find that the experience and speed of the surgeon might affect the costs of the extraction or surgical removal of your wisdom teeth.

As a last note, remember postoperative management of pain is also part of the wisdom tooth removal journey and I have my own "recipe" of medication and postoperative instructions which will help make the journey as painless as possible.

Hope that helps,

Dr Samintharaj Kumar