How to deal with a dental emergency without insurance? Dentist near me no insurance.
Dental emergencies induce significant anxiety. You have to worry about the emergency itself, about where you’ll find the right emergency dental clinic and the payment. Patients with active dental insurance, at least, don’t have to worry about the last of those concerns — dental insurance can handle most dental emergencies. But how to deal with a dental emergency without insurance? That’s what we discuss in this article.
Dental emergencies requiring immediate dental services.
If you’re suffering from dental emergencies that necessitate immediate attention, you shouldn’t waste any time thinking about dental insurance. Find the nearest dentist office accepting walk-in dental emergency patients, and drive over to the clinic. If you have an emergency dentist’s number, contact them immediately, and describe the situation. They’ll guide you through the first steps to take during dental emergencies, and then you can drive over to their clinic.
When dental emergencies strike, you often don’t have time to wait around looking for payment options. You need to act decisively to prevent the situation from worsening. One of the best examples of a time-sensitive dental emergency is a knocked-out tooth. You may knock your tooth out by falling, in a vehicular accident, or during contact sports. A knocked-out tooth can be re-attached to your jaws if it isn’t severely damaged, but only if you act fast.
When you have a knocked-out tooth, you must rinse it clean, preserve it in an airtight container with some saliva or milk, and have someone drive you and your tooth to the nearest dental office. The possibility of reaching the knocked-out tooth decreases significantly after one hour, so you don’t have time to think about insurance and payment options. Other similarly time-sensitive dental emergencies include sudden and severe toothaches, dental abscesses, etc.
Dental emergencies that aren’t as urgent.
You might also be suffering from a dental problem that feels severe but isn’t an actual emergency. Most patients aren’t aware of how to distinguish between actual dental emergencies and perceived dental emergencies. Generally speaking, dental emergencies are time-sensitive situations of the nature described above — if you don’t act immediately, you may suffer from severe complications.
Compared to that, issues like a mildly loose tooth, chipped or cracked teeth, mild to moderate toothaches, and the damaged prosthesis can usually wait a few hours or days for treatment, so they’re not always dental emergencies. You should still call your nearby dentist’s office and describe the situation to make sure, but they don’t generally need you to make an emergency trip to the dentist.
You should follow the emergency dentist’s recommendations on how to handle the situation. In these situations, you may have more time to consider your options. Now that you’re aware of what is and isn’t a dental emergency let’s discuss what to do if you have a dental emergency but no insurance.
What to do if you have a dental emergency but no insurance?
As mentioned previously, you must go to your nearby dental office without delay if you have an actual dental emergency, such as a knocked-out tooth, dental abscess, sudden and severe toothache, etc. In these situations, the slightest of delays may lead to severe long-term complications and dental problems.
Last-minute dental insurance plans can’t pay for dental emergencies.
If you have the time to consider your options and payment plans, you might be suffering from severe dental issues that aren’t exactly an emergency. Patients who experience dental emergencies (real or perceived) often try getting last-minute dental insurance to pay for the treatment, but that doesn’t work for several reasons.
First, dental insurances usually have a 6-24 months waiting period. As such, you have to wait for at least 6 to 24 months after getting the insurance before you can claim the benefits. This waiting period is set in place to prevent patients from abusing the system by taking last-minute insurances when they suffer from dental emergencies. As such, if you get insurance during your dental emergency, you won’t be able to access it anyway.
Second, dental insurance plans don’t always pay for dental emergencies. Dental insurances are ideal for preventative dentistry services, such as two teeth cleanings per year, annual dental exams, x-rays, and other services necessary to pay for dental treatments. But they don’t cover all regular dental treatments — even if they do, they may only cover a part of the treatment.
As such, dental insurance’s ability to pay for dental emergency services varies from one situation to the next and from one insurance plan to the next.
Third-party financing options can minimize the burden of your emergency dental expenses.
If you don’t have dental insurance during dental emergencies, you can get third-party financing options to pay for your treatment. CareCredit is one of the best third-party financing options — it’s essentially a credit card meant only for healthcare purposes. As such, you can apply for a CareCredit card when the dental emergency occurs, receive it immediately, and pay for the treatment without immediate out-of-pocket costs. CareCredit allows you to pay for the treatment gradually in installments instead of all at once.
Where do I get emergency dental care services?
StudioSmiles is one of the best clinics for emergency dental care services in New York City. We accept all major dental insurance plans, including Aetna, Cigna, Delta Dental, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, Guardian, Principal, Dentemax, MetLife, and third-party payment options like CareCredit. As such, you have the flexibility of payment and access to one of the best emergency dental services in New York. For more information, please schedule an appointment or call 646-470-1376.
