The Tooth Fairy Maths

And so, last Friday I got my wisdom teeth removed and this coming Friday, I’ll get the stitches – unstitched!

Alright, this is going to be wordy and descriptive since obviously I can’t take that many photos while I’m unconscious and all! Also, I know there’s people googling “wisdom tooth removal in Singapore” and getting a few posts on the experience itself. Of course, there’s lots out there about the procedure and medical stuff anyway.

First, I’ll give you a bit of back story on how I got to Changi General Hospital or rather what the prices are like. Firstly, I got referred at a polyclinic. My ear was blocking up somehow cause of the headaches and stuff of the wisdom tooth ache and thus, I got ear drops for it but the main point of the visit at a POLYCLINIC was to get a referred consultation for my wisdom tooth! Time check: My polyclinic visit was in very late November, around the last week or so.

See, if you get referred, you get it at a lower price, just that you have to wait! My FIRST consultation was around 1-2 weeks after the polyclinic visit. That’s just consultation you see in which I ended up going to Changi General Hospital (we preferred there cause it was closer to my home and I like the service) to the dental clinic and got X-rayed.

The Consultation:

Pretty much waiting for the doc after handing in the referral letter and coming at the appointment time that was set during my polyclinic visit. Don’t wear metal jewelry, an X-ray is done and I got to bite a plastic C shaped thing and stand while wearing one of those leaded aprons.

The X-ray goes around my head and then it’s done! Back to the waiting room to wait for the Doc while the X-ray develops. Not so long after, I get to the dentist’s room and he looks at the X-ray and checks my teeth too and consults me on either local or general anesthesia. He pretty much say go for GA since I had to remove all of them anyway. Well, 3 wisdom teeth plus 1 extra. The 1 extra was squished cause of my wisdom tooth on the bottom right which had space.

Thus, it was then billing times because it was a short consultation. There, I got to make an appointment date for the extraction. Mind you, this consultation was before Christmas time so the next available date was in January BUT I had work to do that I couldn’t postpone so I did it in February instead.

Right.

See, if you extract your teeth, you WILL go on MC and I couldn’t afford that during the semester time anyway so February it is. The dentist’s assistant or one of the staff there will also brief on how the billing will work for the actual day.

I could use Medisave which is VERY good for me as it would cost thousands if I didn’t. All I had to pay was the extra $60 cause of my “normal tooth”. Boo hiss. Anyway, I was given a packet with the required forms needed including the Medisave form and all. Next visit ISN’T the extraction day, it’s actually one week before the date to go to the anesthetist’ clinic.

The Anesthetist Clinic:

1 week before the extraction date. Um, please wear cute undies and wax your legs or something. I was questioned on my past medical history and also weighed so they could calculate and stuff for the actual day. Also, I had to go for an ECG which is those sticky round things they stick onto various parts of your body to measure your heart rate and all. That was very quick actually.

So nothing much except questions, measurements including blood pressure and just that! It helped that I wasn’t sick or had the flu or fever at all. In fact, I was trying to keep VERY healthy at least until after the operation, I’ll be okay with snifflings or whatsoever. Sorta. Just that I preferred not to be sick. Oh yes, I took a leave day for this at work too. Which then leads to the actual day of the operation!

The Operation:

I was going for general anesthesia and was briefed on the procedures. Sorta. I got the main gist of what will happen and in the pack that I received during the first consultation, it had a list of what to do before the day which included not eating anything at least before midnight of the day and to not put hair products after showering and hair washing.

Also, I got some cute undies just for fun.

First up, registration at the day surgery clinic. I handed over my packet with the forms and other things needed that was in the checklist. The receptionist person then asks me if I’m with someone and indeed I was, my Pa was there and my Ma would come soon after work.

You see, it’s required for you NOT to go alone home in case of anything woozy or fainting spells whatsover so they make sure someone is with you when you’re to leave the hospital. Paperwork done and I paid my $60 for the extra tooth while the rest are covered by Medisave. Onwards I was led (with my Pa) to the recovery room where I was shown to wear an Operating Theatre (OT) gown and a robe over it.

Oh yes, disposable undies too.

My clothes and shoes were then stuff into the locker cupboard next to the bed.

In any case, my valuables such as my camera and wallet, I passed to my Pa. Soon after, my Ma came breezing in. It was quite a wait since I was early and all so I did a bit of picture taking which… OBVIOUSLY I’m not putting here.

In any case, a young doctor and a doctoress (yes, I made that up) came trooping in my bed area with a form and told me what was going to happen. I said yes, ok and signed the consent form before my parents continued talking lame jokes with him.

We don’t want that.

Really.

At about 9.30am one of the nurses told me I could go to the toilet before being wheeled away and so I decided to go just in case.

And then got stuck because the lock jammed a bit and she opened the door with a very “Good grief” look upon her face with my mother behind her.

I can’t help getting into such chic-lit worthy situations even in times like these.

Onwards ho! I was wheeled to the uh, parking space near the operating theatre. It was like the other part of the hospital bed area but much more quiet and more restricted. I was asked questions once more about drug allergies bla bla.

And oh, bonus! I was asked to be part of a study and did a survey about anxiety before an op. I like being helpful in pursuits of studies! Then, the doctor took my hand and stuck the IV needle in it once I was finished.

Obviously this picture was taken after everything. In any case, the needle is quite long and oh, as long as you relax and not freak out, it doesn’t hurt that much. At least it didn’t for me. Okay, IV point set up and then I was wheeled into the actual operating theatre which was just a few metres away. It was all very green and quite a lot of people.

Oh yes, I nearly forgot. Before my IV was set up, I was also plastered with the ECG stickers too so once I was in the theatre, I was hooked up to the machine and was able to hear the beep, beep, beep of my heartbeat.

There, I was “gas masked”, you know, the ones you always see on TV for oxygen, only this time it was whatever it was to knock people out. At once I kind of choked up a bit because it was a lack of air since it was a maximum of that gas and then it stabilized and I was able to breath properly, wondering when I would be knocked out…

And waking up at the area where I was stuck with the IV needle once more.

SAVE POINT?

ABORT/RETRY/QUIT?

Hahaha, no but it felt that way since I couldn’t remember anything at all that happened in the operating theatre room. Only that I woke up to my name being called out and thinking it was so stereotypical like in a story. Anyway, the nurses checked my blood pressure and told me things that it was all done and that I struggled a bit during the surgery?

I couldn’t remember that part but I’m always rubbish at sleeping/dreaming and would be rolling here and there.

All was good, I was wheeled on my bed back to the recovery area once more. Just with gauze stuck in my mouth and ooh-er there was quite a bit of blood from it.

I was still woozy and I was kept there until 2.30pm with brief checks now and then on my blood pressure. I noticed when I came out that it was around eleven or so. And that was it! I got my needle removed and wow. Okay, it was around 2 inches deep? As I said, as long you relaxed and don’t freak out, it didn’t hurt!

Changed and then went home with gauze in my mouth (I changed it before I changed my clothes) and then it’s days of soft cold foods for me.

Of course, I did get a souvenir of my ordeal! I cleaned it up here because there might be readers who’re queasy when seeing blood and some bits of gum on it.

Ah and here’s what I got too besides a special gargle (Hexodane antibacterial mouthwash, I have to dilute a cap of it with water to use it). They handed it over to me (or rather my Ma since I wasn’t really being sensible still) with instructions of after care and all that. Now… It’s just for the unstitching. We’ll see how it goes. Besides being woozy, my throat felt scratchy because when I was knocked out, they inserted a tube down it for me to breathe. Also, just before I was knocked out, they keep telling me the gas was supposed to put me to sleep and I keep thinking “AAAH, THAT’S WHAT THEY SAY TO KITTIES”.

But of course, the gas was supposed to put me to sleep and it did its job very well.

Breakdown of days:

1. Polyclinic referral day (plus also cause I needed ear drops)
2. Consultation with X-ray at the dentist clinic
3. Anesthetist clinic (1 week before operation date)
4. Operation itself
5. Medical leave for at least 5 days from day of operation
6. Unstitching day (on last day of medical leave for me)

Breakdown of costs:

1. I can’t remember but it was less than $20 or around there for polyclinic day for my consultation plus ear drops. Others don’t need this, they just need consultation and referral letter.
2. Around $20 or less on consultation day at the dentist. I’m rubbish at remembering this because all I remembered was going, “Oh, that’s cheap and fast”. AFTER REFERRAL mind you.
3. Anesthetist day, nothing! It’s included in the charge for the operation day itself.
4. Operation day, the rest of cost covered by Medisave, except for the $60 of my “extra normal tooth”. Costs includes meds and stuff.

Interestingly, my friend had an operation day EVENING before me and hers was private. Remember, I wanted to wait because of my busy schedule, she needed hers out quick cause of her schedule. She didn’t do the anesthetist or polyclinic thing but did have a consultation a week or so before her operation. That consultation cost is the typical cost for a private doctor so… I think its not as cheap as when you get referred. Best you ask prices if you’re going to private though.

Her breakdown of the operation costs to me:

1. Surgery – $3300 (4 teeth out too)
2. Anesthetist – $500 (the dentist had to call the doctor over to come with equipment. She went under local instead of general so instead got injections and not gas)
3. Medicine + GST and EVERYTHING including the surgery and anesthetist in total (with the previous points) – $4136.60

All these are in Singapore dollars. Let’s see how it’ll be on unstitching day. I wanna eat sushi or something. Been eating porridge, mashed potatoes and tons of ice cream. I know my friend’s anxious too because we both wanna eat proper stuff. Unngh. Unnngh! She gets hers unstitched the day before mine. Let’s hope things goes well for the both of us.

EDIT: Part 2 is here.

EDIT: I got my tax invoice and finally scanned it for those who want to know the exact breakdown for mine, JUST the wisdom tooth operation for me. Might be different for you since I did remove 3 wisdom + 1 extra tooth. The cost below is paid via my own medisave though!