What to do about a broken tooth away from my insurance area?
July 16, 2015 2:20 PM Subscribe
I'm visiting my partner's family in Southern Oregon for the next ~3 weeks. Last night, I broke a tooth (my first molar, lower right). I have insurance in Minnesota via the state exchange, but I haven't been able to find anyone here who takes it, or who is willing to talk about it after they find out I have free insurance.
I probably need a crown, but is there some temporary procedure I could request for the interim so I don't do more damage/get an infection?
Is there some easier way to find dentists besides calling everyone from Yelp/the Yellow Pages?
Other info:
I would go home and get it done (because the flights may be cheaper than paying out of pocket), but my MIL-type-person is seriously ill and this may be our last visit with her, so I want to avoid that.
I called the number on my insurance card first, but they have no info for out of state dentists.
I have some savings, so I could pay out of pocket if need be, but the insurance says they won't reimburse it. I don't have a job, so I'd much prefer to use the insurance as much as I can.
The tooth was already damaged--large filling, possibly in need of a root canal--which I can only imagine will make this mess more expensive.
Also, this is my first Ask, so I hope it's complete.
Other info:
I would go home and get it done (because the flights may be cheaper than paying out of pocket), but my MIL-type-person is seriously ill and this may be our last visit with her, so I want to avoid that.
I called the number on my insurance card first, but they have no info for out of state dentists.
I have some savings, so I could pay out of pocket if need be, but the insurance says they won't reimburse it. I don't have a job, so I'd much prefer to use the insurance as much as I can.
The tooth was already damaged--large filling, possibly in need of a root canal--which I can only imagine will make this mess more expensive.
Also, this is my first Ask, so I hope it's complete.
I can't help with the insurance question, but I recently broke molar 18 (recently as in the first weekend of June). My dentist filed down the sharp bits and put in a temporary filling until I could decide on a root canal or extraction. Like yours, the tooth was already damaged when it broke. She said she expects the temp filling to last 6 - 8 weeks.
Unless you're in pain, not an emergency (ie: don't need to have the root canal tomorrow) but a temp filling will make you more comfortable until you get home.
posted by anastasiav at 2:34 PM on July 16, 2015
Unless you're in pain, not an emergency (ie: don't need to have the root canal tomorrow) but a temp filling will make you more comfortable until you get home.
posted by anastasiav at 2:34 PM on July 16, 2015
Call the insurance company again, but this time tell them that you're out of state and you have a dental emergency and ask them what's covered and what their policies are in a case like this. Ask what percentage of reimbursement you can expect as well as what paperwork they need in order to process your claim (is a bill enough?). Get the customer service rep's name and agent # and keep good notes.
posted by quince at 3:44 PM on July 16, 2015
posted by quince at 3:44 PM on July 16, 2015
There's temporary dental stuff to patch your tooth you can get at the pharmacy or on Amazon. I've not used it myself, so I have little more to offer, but you can read user reviews on Amazon to help you decide if it would work or not.
posted by jbenben at 4:05 PM on July 16, 2015
posted by jbenben at 4:05 PM on July 16, 2015
Are you in or near Medford? Call La Clinica-sliding scale dental services, and if they can't help, they can probably point you in the right direction: https://www.laclinicahealth.org/Page.asp?NavID=26
posted by purenitrous at 8:51 PM on July 16, 2015
posted by purenitrous at 8:51 PM on July 16, 2015
There are several low cost or free dental clinics listed here. Feel better!
posted by dancinglamb at 12:05 AM on July 17, 2015
posted by dancinglamb at 12:05 AM on July 17, 2015
Response by poster: Thank you guys. I don't have a regular dentist at home, so that was part of my problem. I got a recommendation for a dentist at home and now I'm calling around to see who can patch my tooth together temporarily.
Also, my insurance doesn't cover crowns anyway, so I needn't have tried so long to find someone to take my insurance.
posted by MsDaniB at 9:48 AM on July 17, 2015
Also, my insurance doesn't cover crowns anyway, so I needn't have tried so long to find someone to take my insurance.
posted by MsDaniB at 9:48 AM on July 17, 2015
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Another option is to call a dentist in Oregon and just say you'll be paying out of pocket and want to figure out the cheapest/temporary option. Lots of people either don't have dental insurance at all or have shitty insurance and just pay out of pocket. (I have insurance, but ended up going over my max payout this year because of some annoying complicated stuff...they are happy to take your money!) Call around to see if you can find someone who will talk to you about these temporary options and just don't mention having "free" insurance at all.
Finally, this chart might give you a sense of whether this is an emergency or not:
http://www.sharonalbrightdds.com/dental_facts/broken-tooth/#.VaghyPm6fDc
posted by rainbowbrite at 2:31 PM on July 16, 2015