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As anyone who’s had a toothache will agree, having one is no fun. Aside from brushing your teeth and flossing regularly, it is important to pay regular visits to the dentist to ensure that your teeth are kept in good health, and dental problems rooted out (pun not intended) before they cause more problems. Some problems may not be apparent until looked at by a dentist, but if properly cared for, most people will generally need only minor interventions from the dentist. Occasionally, teeth may need to be extracted, and fillings may have to be made to restore tooth cavities. Here are some of the more common dental treatments that most people will face, and how much private dental clinics are charging it. Scaling and polishing is meant to remove dental plaque, and is recommended to be done every 6 – 12 months on average. Polishing is meant to return yellowed teeth to a more natural colour.   Fillings are meant to restore the tooth in cases where some decay has occurred. These fillings are used to reconstruct the tooth and to prevent further decay. Pricing typically varies depending on the type of filling used, the type of material, as well as the extent of damage to the tooth. Many dental clinics’ websites do not state the prices upfront. If a tooth has been extensively decayed, sometimes the only remedy is to do a tooth extraction. In most other cases, some of the other treatments will still be able to save the tooth.   There are generally two types of wisdom tooth extractions. Normal wisdom tooth extraction is the same as normal tooth extraction, but impacted wisdom teeth require more complicated surgery to extract. Fortunately, this is covered by Medisave.   One of the common causes of toothache is the inflammation of the tooth pulp inside the tooth, which could be caused by decay, fracture, cracks or gum disease. Root canal treatment is the disinfection and cleaning of the root canal space and filling it up to prevent reinfection. Most root canal treatments can be completed in one or two visits, however more severe cases may need more visits.   You can only use Medisave for dental procedures that entail dental surgery. Since simple tooth extraction is not considered dental surgery, it is not covered by Medisave. Aside from this, other procedures such as scaling and polishing, teeth whitening, braces or teeth alignment are not covered by Medisave. Nevertheless, other procedures such as wisdom tooth surgery, or root canal treatment (involving dental surgery) are covered.