Actually, quite a few people are saying Thailand is also a bargain for Dentistry. Apparently about 30 percent of the Aussie cost at most.
( I can hear people saying "Thailand" is also great for "other things" as well, but not my cup of tea. I will stick with the anglo saxon gals). lol
Why is Australia so crazy and overly expensive for dentistry. I wish we had a member who was a dentist who could explain it. Its well over $600 an hour for the labour plus supplies when getting treated by a dentist. If u are a dentist, I say "good luck to ya" cause if u can charge it and get it, well done.
Its sorta like a vet with a cat with 2 x small crying kids with the parent in the surgery, you just know u can probably get at least $600 to fix the cat.lol 
If Dentists are anything like Gyno's then the (seemingly) excessive fees would be to cover their insurance. 15 years ago a knew a Gynocologist in a town of 40 000 people that had medical indemnity insurance that cost over $100k per year.....So its not thier fault - its societies fault for wanting to pass the blame to someone always.
Different story with vets - while the fees seem again quite high - their capital and insurance costs are quite high. I have two good friends who are vets and they certainly don't earn super high incomes - particularly for the hours they put in.
In response to the main topic - go for the extraction under a general - i had all 4 wisdom teeth out, no pain, no swelling (i was religious about keeping ice,saline wash and painkillers up) and 5 days off work!
