Know Your Insurance

You schedule a visit to the dentist and whether it's a minor filling or several root canals that you or your child is gearing up for, its likely that the anticipated cost of the procedure causes you nearly as much anxiety as the dental work itself.  That anxiety and frustration is only multiplied when, after you've already paid your estimated portion as you leave the dentist's office, you receive a bill letting you know that you owe an additional billion dollars for the work that was done.  How can that be?  Didn't you already pay a seemingly insane amount of money to the dentist?  How in the world can you possibly owe more money?  Well, to keep you from pulling your hair out in frustration, here are a couple of quick suggestions to help make your trip to the dentist as enjoyable as possible.

- When you make an appointment for your child to get some work done, the front desk staff will provide you with a proposed treatment plan.  This shows you the work that the dentist is planning on doing during the next appointment.  Please understand that this is a proposed treatment plan.  The treatment may end up having to be modified as the dentist gets a better look at the tooth.  Perhaps there is more decay than originally thought.  Maybe an extraction is a better option than the pulpotomy (baby root canal) that was proposed.  The dentist has your child's best interest at heart and will only do the work that is necessary.  With the change in treatment, there may be a change in cost.

- While we're on the subject of treatment plans, this document will show you the estimated portion that will be due at the time of service.  While we do our absolute best to know every single insurance plan and understand the coverage for each procedure we do, its just impossible to know everything.  So, its quite possible that after we submit the work done to your insurance company that they will not cover exactly what we estimated that they would cover - leaving you either with a balance or a credit on your account.  How can you ensure that our estimate is as accurate as possible?  Well, funny you should ask...

- KNOW YOUR INSURANCE!  Before you come in for a visit, call a customer service representative with your insurance company.  Find out what type of coverage you have.  Do they cover basic work at 80% or 50%?  What exactly qualifies as basic work?  What about major work?  Are there any waiting periods?  Will they pay for nitrous oxide (laughing gas)?  By using the treatment plan that we provided, you should be able to figure out what your insurance is prepared to cover before you get the work done.  That should eliminate as many surprises as possible.  Not sure what questions to ask when you call your insurance company?  We are more than happy to help you navigate the complicated world of insurances.  Just ask!