Hi there. I've read some of the old threads on dentistry, and people seem to agree that dentists are good here. It's just that I've been hearing different things from different people. I've heard that if you go to the clinics they tell you nothing is wrong and if you go to the private dentists they tell you everything is wrong. I went to a private dentist and he told me that I need to have my wisdom tooth taken out and he showed me the x-ray, which did show a wisdom tooth inside the gum. But I went to my American dentist only three weeks ago and he did not say anything about it, having done x-rays of my whole mouth. For some reason, I'm skeptical. Have I cause to be, or am I just trying to avoid paying money to have my wisdom tooth taken out?

Also, I've been referred to Dr. Jose Antonio Farcie Ruiz in Mostoles. Anybody know anything about him? They told me that depending on where the tooth is, the price could be anywhere between 40-120 euros. Is that a reasonable price here?

I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks.

-Becca

If your wisdom tooth isn´t causing you trouble or crowding your other teeth, leave it alone. I think wisdom teeth are a real gold mine for dentists, at least American ones. In Pittsburgh four years ago my insurance company paid $1,400 to have two of my harmless, painless wisdom teeth taken out. It was a painful waste of time and money.
At 400 Euro I´d say the Spanish guy is a great deal in comparison. Unless of course, the anesthetic costs $1,000 extra!

There are two English-speaking dentists at this clinic. Ask for Ian Daniel or Patricia Fernandez. Calle Magallanes 18 1°, 28105 Madrid.

They are the denstist that most expats and vistors go to, I've been there several times and am very happy.

I feel that I should also add, that I was advised, when I inquired about two of my wisdom teeth some years ago, that it is generally not necessary to have the full surgical extraction including anesthetic, unless they have cut through and/or are infected or are causing a lot of pain for some reason. In my case I had to wait another few years before they were clearly visible, but weren't painful, but did pinch the inside of my jowls occasionally, at which point my dentist in the UK advised me to have the procedure which is more favored nowadays, and that is to have the crown of each wisdom tooth broken off with a special tool, which only takes off the top half of the tooth, after which the bottom half is grown over and is thereafter not noticeable at all, and I had that done back in the early nineties, to my two upper wisdom teeth, it took a very short period of time, was quite painless indeed, very cheap it was, although in the UK, London, and I've had no more pinching since then, and don't miss them at all.

It sounds to me like some dentists like to make more work for themselves, and more money with it, by getting you to have often quite unnecessary procedures to remove things that don't really need to be removed.

If, and only "if" they are hurting you, or pinching the jowl, then just get a dentist to do what I had them do, and take off the crown(s). They will heal over fairly quickly, but you will need to stay on soft foods for a couple of weeks thereafter until they do, and avoid crunchy things and nuts for a while, as they can get stuck back there, but other than that, I don't get any problems back there anymore, and will never need to have them surgically removed all the way out, which would have to be under anesthetic, (which I don't like anyway, and avoid).

So my advice, if they are not really causing you a lot of grief, just live with them until they need breaking off, like I did, or alternatively, if you don't mind the anesthetic, and can trust them in doing that over there, then have the full extraction.

Hope that helps a little.

Angelo
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