Dental Providers, Are You Stealing From Yourself?

Day in and day out you’re running behind with your Patients to get them cleaned up before their dental exams. You work your fingers to the bone to remove every spicule of calculus and plaque off their teeth just to do it again in 6 months. Are you going what’s right for your patient, yourself or your practice?  

Calling what it is –  ‘ a bloody prophy’ is the first step. Making your patients accountable is the second. Let’s start working smarter not harder.

A bloody prophy now has a code, Gingivitis #D4346. We need to start educating our patients on what stage of disease they have, what you need to do to help reverse it and make them responsible for their own health. Stop stealing time and energy in procedures patients don’t need. Charge for what you do by coding it correctly.

Insurance doesn’t pay? Explain to the patient why they need the procedure and that their insurance has chosen not to cover it. We are only responsible for providing the appropriate treatment plan and providing the care that the patient accepts. 

Giving away free dentistry by providing gingivitis therapy and coding it as a healthy preventive procedure does not help you or your practice. It also doesn’t help your patient understand what they can be doing better for themselves. Help everyone by talking to your patients. Communication will set you free.