Dental Emergencies, Medical Insurance Coverage
A long term patient recently lost his front tooth in an accident. He had a fairly normal series of treatments for this situation – a one-tooth removable partial denture to wear while the area healed then a dental implant, followed by a permanent crown. All of these procedure codes were sent to the dental insurance company for reimbursement which did happen.
The bills actually exceeded the insurance coverage of all of this treatment by a considerable amount. My office manager mentioned to this patient that his medical insurance plan would probably cover part of the treatment because it was in fact an accident that created the dental situation. This is one of those rare instances where dental and medical coverage overlaps. He called his insurance company, has filed the claims, and should be receiving further reimbursement through his medical plan.