Wisdom Teeth & VHI

smndly

Hey I'm looking for a bit of advice. I've recently returned home from living abroad and had an international VHI plan which I now need to change to a normal Irish VHI plan.

I will need to get all of my impacted wisdom teeth removed in the next few months. There is no waiting period for me as I have continued cover with the VHI but I don't know which VHI plan makes most sense for me to get. Do they all cover this procedure or do I need to get specific dental plan? And do they have different excess'? If the excess is a lot for a cheaper plan I may as well get a more expensive plan for the next year or so.

I have no other medical issues so I really just want to find the most cost effective VHI plan for the wisdom teeth removal.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

There is a poster on here called Oral Sugeon...he will answer this question accurately for you any minutes now....

Oral Surgeon

All regular medical insurance plans will cover the same list of procedures.
There may be differences in level of cover for certain hospitals though...
For example, a very basic plan may cover a procedure under local amaesthetic in an outpatient clinic or in a public hospital and a very expensive plan may cover the same procedure but in the penthouse suite of an expensive private hospital.... it depends....
The key is also if the wisdom teeth are impacted, if so they are covered, if not then you pay....
You must also know that even though a procedure is "fully covered", Vhi will not pay for the consultation (so you must) and clinics may charge a technical fee for sedation services or for General anaesthetic....

It's a mine field... first, I'd change your plan and ask if the removal of impacted tooth/teeth is covered. There are loads of procedure codes depending on the number and position of the teeth....

Then see an oral surgeon for a consultation and go from there...

smndly wrote: »

Hey I'm looking for a bit of advice. I've recently returned home from living abroad and had an international VHI plan which I now need to change to a normal Irish VHI plan.

I will need to get all of my impacted wisdom teeth removed in the next few months. There is no waiting period for me as I have continued cover with the VHI but I don't know which VHI plan makes most sense for me to get. Do they all cover this procedure or do I need to get specific dental plan? And do they have different excess'? If the excess is a lot for a cheaper plan I may as well get a more expensive plan for the next year or so.

I have no other medical issues so I really just want to find the most cost effective VHI plan for the wisdom teeth removal.

Isambard

is it normal to have to go to a specialist to get impacted wisdom teeth removed? Could not your local dentist do it? Is it a different procedure to have a standard tooth removal?

Oral Surgeon

Isambard wrote: »

is it normal to have to go to a specialist to get impacted wisdom teeth removed? Could not your local dentist do it? Is it a different procedure to have a standard tooth removal?

Some general dentists will tackle an impacted wisdom tooth, most won't....
if you are being referred then that answers your question....

Isambard

Thank you

Ursus Horribilis

My insurance policy considered impacted wisdom teeth to be a surgical procedure. I had all four removed under sedation. Thank God!!

dr.fuzzenstein

Do they give trouble? I think a lot of dentists just remove them as a matter of course, a lot have said to me "oh yeah and you'll have to get those removed, just make an appointment with my front desk", hang on, why?
I've had one wisdom tooth removed because it was painful, I still have the other three, one has even come out, so have 2 covered ones. (Bottom ones)
Unless they give me jib I intend to take them to the grave with me.

Wesser

Surely there will be an exclusion period for pre existing conditions, no?
We can't all just join vhi when we find out we have wisdom tooth problems.

Oral Surgeon

Wesser wrote: »

Surely there will be an exclusion period for pre existing conditions, no?
We can't all just join vhi when we find out we have wisdom tooth problems.

yep 5 years exclusion if you have a know problem with wisdom teeth prior to joining!!

Mortpourvelo

Quick question - I need some teeth removing and more likely than not, dentures.

I'm cool with that. However, I need to have them done under GA, have tried IV sedation and still freak out.

Would this be covered on a VHI policy ? It's surgery - but there's no dental plan that I can see.

Oral Surgeon

It is more likely that you don't "need ga", sounds like you need better I've sedation!!
The removal of impacted or buried teeth is a covered procedure, so is the removal of roots buried under the gum line and so is the removal of 6 or more regular teeth.... for covered procedures, the vhi would cover the procedure, ga and most of the hospital costs but may still need to part with a few hundred....

Mortpourvelo wrote: »

Quick question - I need some teeth removing and more likely than not, dentures.

I'm cool with that. However, I need to have them done under GA, have tried IV sedation and still freak out.

Would this be covered on a VHI policy ? It's surgery - but there's no dental plan that I can see.