Q:

I need to have my wisdom teeth removed sometime in the near future, but I don't have dental insurance nor can I afford to pay for the procedure myself. As a western student do I have any options? Can the student health center help me?

A:

The WWU Student Health Center does not do dental care, other than emergency medications for tooth pain or abscess. There is not currently a dental insurance plan option for students, so WWU students who need dental care rely on sliding fee scale dental clinics in Whatcom County, such as Interfaith or SeaMar, on a stand by basis for emergencies or wait list for routine care. It is a huge problem and the cost of insurance as well as dental care is very difficult for students to manage.

Wisdom tooth extraction is very expensive but most oral surgeons will discount their fees for uninsured students and allow payment in installments. The other option is to get on a wait list for the UW Dental School in Seattle, where you can have low cost care provided by students in training.