Would you go find another dentist?

[NicJean]

The dentist I have, I've been seeing for about three years. He's a bit rough and gruff exterior, yet recognizes me in the grocery and says 'hi'. His work is good, but still a bit rough. DH is filling out insurace forms for me for dental (cause I'm not covered). Problem is, my dentist does not participate in insurance (asked him just this morning in the grocery). Does this mean I can't even submit a claim to get reimbursement? My dentist is in the small town I frequent for grocery shopping, and plan on making 'a day' of it, although just 15 miles away. The nearest participating providers are 30 - 50 miles away, in a completely different direction. Would you find a new dentist?

Thanks for thoughts.

[frugalwarrior2]

Yes,I would travel. Dental hygiene and work affect other health.
All you have to have is 1 major issue and it could cost a fortune.
And really how often do you go? 3-4x a year?

[Contrary Housewife]

Does this mean I can't even submit a claim to get reimbursement?

Ask your provider. It may just be that the dentist's office doesn't handle the insurance paperwork and you have to submit it yourself.

IMO good dentists are hard to find. If you feel he is doing good work, stick with him.

[Nishu]

In my experience there are two different ways a provider can handle insurance.

First way is that they "accept" the insurance. This means that they'll do the work, submit the claim and charge you for what the insurance doesn't pay. This basically only means that they will handle the paperwork for you. In most cases, you could actually handle filing the claim yourself and end up none the worse for it.

Second way is that they are "enrolled" in your insurance, which means they actually have a contract for your insurance provider that involves set prices for services. The dentist agrees to accept $XXX for a specific service and to charge you $XXX as your share even though the official price he charges might be twice that.

If your insurance doesn't have contracts with their providers and doesn't place limits on what your dentist charges, then the only difference between a dentist that does accept your insurance and one that doesn't is who handles the paperwork.

I would call your insurance company and ask them how they work. If they do have contracts that limit what your dentist charges, it might benefit you to find one in your network. If there are no contracts and they allow you to submit the claim yourself, I'd just stay with your current dentist. In fact, I would think insurance claims take up a huge amount of manpower. It might even be cheaper to stay with him.

[angieB]

Yes. I would go for another dentist to have a second opinion and better treatment.

[brennasmom]

Yes, I would switch. Since dental appointments aren't that often I would be willing to drive further for better care