I had no idea how much it cost to get those suckers taken out! After spending $5,000 on braces, my dad wasn’t taking chances letting 4 rouge teeth ravage my straightened mouth. Two of them had already broken through and started to hurt. Since I leave in 17 days, I wanted them taken care of ASAP. Teeth removal or surgery should not be part of my study abroad experience.
The total bill – $1,560! Each tooth cost $295 plus $335 for general anesthesia and $45 for some other drug they gave me. My insurance paid for 80% of each tooth and almost all of the drugs. On the bill they gave us, each tooth is listed as “Partially Bony”. I always thought my teeth were fully bony but I guess not!
Lessons Learned:
- Dental insurance is good to have. Thanks Mom & Dad!
- Having parents able to easily pay what insurance doesn’t is nice too.
- Vicodin. I’m fond of that drug. Keep it comin’!
An expense like this can be hard to plan for. Not that I personally needed to, but I know someday I’ll have to pay for stuff like this without relying on Mommy & Daddy. This wasn’t an emergency that came up at 4pm on some random Tuesday but it also wasn’t unknown. I’m sure they knew that at some point, they’d need to have to money available to pay for the slicing and dicing.
I’ve gone on and on about how much I like having separate savings accounts for different things. I’ve thought of a new one. It’s called the “I Knew This Was Coming, But It’s Still Sort of Sudden” savings account. For all that stuff that you know is coming, but you’re not sure exactly when or what the $ will be. Like getting wisdom teeth removed.
Everybody’s number will be different, but even $50 a paycheck will help soften the blows from stuff like this. If you’re an Adult with kids and a white picket fence™, you’ll probably want to be saving a lot more. Kids are expensive – just ask my parents.
p.s. - You could just include this saving in with your emergency fund or general savings, but where’s the fun in that? 
Plus, I know some people have a problem “taking” money from their e-fund if it’s not a real emergency.
p.p.s. – If I have any international readers who live in countries that have universal healthcare, I’d like to hear how this would be handled in your country. Is it free like emergency care or is dental stuff treated different?
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Most dental work, including wisdom teeth removal, is not covered under my public health insurance. Other countries (and perhaps even other provinces, since health is Provincial jurisdiction) may vary.
Mine cost about the same, again mostly paid by my parents’ work benefits. I now have my own extended health benefits that cover dental work, eye exams, prescription drugs, and a variety of paramedical services (massage therapy, chiropractic, etc.).
I’m a big of the “emergency fund” that’s so popular in personal finance advice. As far as I’m concerned, it’s flat out bad advice, that should be thrown out by anyone who can add and multiply.
I’m of the opinion that cash reserves should be exclusively for planned spending like your wisdom teeth. Sitting on cash that you rarely or never touch costs you money.
I wrote about this in greater detail while I was on a kick of trying-to-blog.
http://www.knowmoney.net/articles/managing-money/1-money-for-beginners/16-why-an-emergency-fund.html