Wisdom tooth is the third molar in your jaw. Most people have four wisdom teeth, one in each quadrant. However some people may be lucky and have none, fewer or more. For people who have extra molars those teeth are called supernumerary teeth. They usually erupt during a person late teen or early twenties, others may not erupt at all and will stay in the jaw bone.

Wisdom teeth removal cost in Australia can vary depending on the position of the wisdom tooth, the procedure of the treatment can differ too.

So how much does it cost to remove wisdom teeth? As previously mentioned depending on the position of the wisdom tooth, a wisdom tooth extraction cost can range from $350 – $450.

The wisdom tooth removal cost can vary so much is determined if it’s a straight forward extraction or a surgical extraction. A straightforward extraction is like a normal extraction where the wisdom tooth has already erupted and it’s position is standing vertically. As for an impacted wisdom tooth a surgical extraction is needed to cut open the gums and possible drilling on the jaw bone and wisdom tooth to remove it.

Wisdom teeth serve an important role for our human ancestors to help chew foliages and grind plant tissues. Our human ancestors were known to have larger jaws with more teeth for chewing and grinding plants. It effectively helped them to effectively digest their food, but with thousands of years of agriculture. Human’s diets have changed to soft and cooked food that provides high energy and slow releasing properties. With these diet changes, our jaw has resulted in growing less forward and in terms creating not enough room for our wisdom teeth to erupt out.

With not enough room for the wisdom teeth to come out, the third molar may get stuck against the tooth next to it. This is called an impacted wisdom tooth, where the crown of the wisdom tooth is pushing towards the neighbouring tooth and lying sideways. Impacted teeth can not cause movement towards other teeth, however it can cause infection and tooth decay. Due to the nature of the tooth being sideways and at the very back of the mouth. Keeping a good oral hygiene becomes difficult, where brushing and flossing will not be sufficient enough.

That is why a lot of dentists in Australia recommend wisdom teeth removal in Sydney before it can cause any infection or tooth decay.

In some cases the root of the wisdom tooth is very long and it’s close or even touching a nerve in your jaw. In such cases the dentist will refer you off to see an oral surgeon where they have the equipment and experience in wisdom tooth extraction cases. If not done properly the patient can lose sensation on the side where the wisdom tooth is extracted. A way of finding out is to take an OPG or even a CBCT scan to determine the location of the teeth as well as the nerves.