Why do I have to come in for a consultation and pay for another office visit when I just had one with the dentist who referred me to you?

We are unlike your dentist in that we are a specialty office and we usually only see our patients for one procedure. Your dentist has an ongoing relationship with you and is familiar with your history. You are a new patient to us so it is  important for our doctor’s to meet with you to review your medical history, past surgery information, and review any allergies you may have. We also want you  to feel comfortable with your procedure and this gives you a chance to meet Dr. Satterfield and have any of your questions answered before you come in for your surgery appointment.

Why do I need a new x-ray taken if I just had x-rays taken at the dentist?

Dental x-rays are generally bite wing or full series x-rays that are used to look at an individual tooth. We need a current panorex x-ray in order to see the entire anatomy of your jaw (sinuses, nerves, roots, etc.) We also need to make sure that your x-ray was taken within the past year as your root structure continues  to grow and your tooth position can change with growth as well.

Why do you charge different prices for teeth extractions?

Our pricing is dependant upon the tooth location and the degree of difficulty in extracting each individual tooth. Some teeth are above the jaw and gum line and are easy to extract where as some teeth can be impacted in the gum tissue or  jaw bone making their extraction much more difficult.

Will my medical insurance pay for wisdom teeth?

Some plans do provide coverage for wisdom teeth but there are certain   guidelines that have to be met. Since all carriers are different, it is best to contact them before hand to see if you have coverage and what criteria must be met.     (Ex: Coverage is only allowed for impacted wisdom teeth)

Do you take my insurance?

We are contracted with Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Health Plan Select. If your insurance is with another carrier, you will need to make sure that they will allow you to come to us and that you do not have to see an in-network provider.

What if I have a managed care plan?

We are a specialty provider which is different than going to your primary care doctor where you might pay a co-pay. You will need to call your insurance companies member services and see if your plan has out-of-network benefits if you have anything other than the plans we are contracted with.

Can you tell me how much my insurance will pay for my procedure?

At your consultation visit we will give you an estimate of your surgery fees. We can only estimate your coverage in good faith but cannot guarantee coverage   due to the complexities of insurance contracts.  Your estimated patient portion must be paid at the time of service.  As a service to you, we will gladly file your insurance but payment must be paid in full within 60 days.

Why do I have a balance due after my insurance? I paid what I  was asked to on the day of my surgery.

When you come in for your consultation you are given a treatment plan that indicates the payment we ask for upfront before filing your insurance. This amount is an ESTIMATE. We then file your insurance for you and any balance is billed to the patient. Balances occur when you have exceeded your calendar year maximum, have no coverage for the procedure, have lower coverage than anticipated, etc. We encourage all patients to have a pre-treatment estimate     filed if you would like a better idea of your out of pocket expense. Even with the pre-treatment estimate it is still only an ESTIMATE. If you feel that your insurance processed your claim in error please contact them directly.

My insurance company has requested information for my claim, can you send it for me? Have you filed my secondary insurance?

Insurance companies send all correspondence to you first. You will receive explanation of benefits (EOB’s) 3-7 days before we will. Once we receive the EOB  we will attach the necessary information to the claim for you and re-file your claim. Once we settle the claim with your primary insurance we will gladly file  your secondary claims. Please make sure that you give the front desk all of the information in order for us to do this. However, it is important to remember that filing multiple insurance companies can slow down the processing of your entire claim and the balance on the account is due within 60 days of the date of service.