Dental emergencies happen to the best of us. It doesn’t matter how much you care for your teeth, an accident can happen leading to the need for an emergency dentist near me in Martha Lake.
Before you start searching for one, the cost will play on your mind. You’ll want to know if your dental insurance will cover the need, and just how much you could be looking at. After all, you’re likely going to a different dentist compared to your normal one.
An Emergency Dentist Will Need to make an Initial Assessment
If you see your regular dentist for the emergency, they’ll already have your x-rays and other work from previous visits. They have an idea of what your mouth should look like. When you visit an emergency dentist near me in Martha Lake, you will need an initial exam that could include new x-rays taken, even if you just had them done a month ago at your regular dentist.
This can lead to a cost of at least $200 just for the exam alone. And that’s if you’re not charged an out-of-office fee.
Antibiotics, Surgery, and More to Consider
From there, the emergency dentist will assess the issue and consider the treatment needed. In some cases, this is antibiotics for the infection that you have. It could mean surgery to get rid of part of a cracked tooth. The exact type of treatment needed will affect the costs.
Antibiotics can easily cost around $1000 depending on the pharmacy and type of antibiotic. Surgery can also be in the thousands, especially if it’s a complex removal. You could end up spending $3000 on crowns.
You can get the initial assessment from the emergency dentist near me in Martha Lake and then go to your regular dentist for the follow-up treatment. This helps to rule out anything too serious, but also helps you get the initial treatment, such as if you need antibiotics and it’s a long weekend, so you need to deal with it right away.
Not All Emergency Dentists Are Covered by Insurance
When you need an emergency dentist near me in Martha Lake, you’ll need to look into your insurance details. Make sure the dentist you’re considering is on your list of approved dentists. You may find that your dental insurance doesn’t cover you.
Your regular dentist may have direct billing. This is great to ease the worry of the costs of your dental treatment. An emergency dentist may not have direct billing, meaning you’re paying out of pocket first and then waiting on the insurance company reimbursing you. This is something you can ask about when you’re on the phone with various emergency dentists.
Of course, coverage will depend on the treatment as well. You may find that the initial treatment is covered but the extras aren’t. However, if you went to your regular dentist, they could potentially get things covered because it wouldn’t be considered as an emergency. There’s also the maximum you can claim to factor in. Your own dentist would be able to tell you if you reached that, but an emergency dentist can’t.
The cost of an emergency dentist near me in Martha Lake shouldn’t need to be a consideration, but it is. Going in knowing the likely costs will help you find the right dentist, whether it’s just for the initial assessment and antibiotics or whether you could wait a few days to see your regular dentist.
