FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Why do I have to come in and pay for an office visit when I just had one with the dentist who referred me to you?

We are unlike your dentist in that we are a specialty office and usually only see our patients for one procedure. You are a new patient to us so it is important for our doctors to meet with you to review your medical history, past surgery information, and review any allergies you may have. We also want you to feel comfortable with your procedure; an office visit gives you a chance to meet your doctor and have any of your questions answered before you come in for your surgery appointment.

Why do I need a new x-ray taken if I just had x-rays taken at the dentist?

Dental x-rays are generally bitewing or full series x-rays that are used to look at an individual tooth. We need a current panorex x-ray in order to see the entire anatomy of your jaw (sinuses, nerves, roots, etc.) We also need to make sure that your x-ray was taken within the past year as your root structure continues to grow and your tooth position can change with growth as well.

Why do you charge different prices for teeth extractions?

Our pricing is dependent upon the tooth location and the degree of difficulty in extracting each individual tooth. Some teeth are above the jaw and gum line and are easy to extract whereas some teeth can be impacted in the gum tissue or jaw bone making their extraction much more difficult.

Will my medical insurance pay for wisdom teeth removal?

Some plans do provide coverage for wisdom teeth removal but there are certain guidelines that have to be met; for example, some insurance plans allow coverage only for impacted wisdom teeth.  Since all carriers are different, it is best to contact your carrier beforehand to see if you have coverage and what criteria must be met.

Do you take my insurance?

We accept insurance from most insurance companies and will file your claim for you. You will need to contact your insurer prior to your appointment to make sure that your carrier will cover your visit with us and that you do not have to see an in-network provider. In addition, you will need to obtain any referrals or authorizations your carrier may require prior to seeing us.

Can you tell me how much my insurance will pay for my procedure?

We will be glad to submit a pre-determination to your insurance company to get their estimated payment amount. Please keep in mind that it can take weeks to get a response from most insurance companies.  We will contact you once we receive an estimation of coverage

I received a statement for my surgery/office visit. Have you billed my insurance company yet?

Yes. Sending out statements is our way of communicating to all of our patients what claims have been paid and what have not. If you are receiving a statement please refer to the bottom left corner of your statement. It will tell you when we last filed your insurance claim. If you receive another statement indicating the same balance please contact your insurance company first to ensure that a claim has been received.

Why do I have a balance due after my insurance? I paid what I was asked to on the day of my surgery.

When you come in for your initial visit you are given a treatment plan that indicates the payment we ask for upfront before filing your insurance. This amount is an ESTIMATE. We then file your insurance for you and any balance is billed to the patient. Balances occur when you have exceeded your calendar year maximum, have no coverage for the procedure, have lower coverage than anticipated, etc. We encourage all patients to have a pre-treatment estimate filed if you would like a better idea of your out of pocket expense. However, even with the pre-treatment estimate it is still only an ESTIMATE. If you feel that your insurance processed your claim in error please contact them directly.

I paid the estimated amount but my insurer covered more than expected, where is my refund?

Once your insurance company pays us we will refund the guarantor of your account any credit due in the form of a check from Oral Facial Surgery Institute.

My insurance company has requested information about my claim; can you send it for me? Have you filed my secondary insurance?

Insurance companies send all correspondence to you first. You will receive an explanation of benefits (EOB) 3-7 days before we will. Once we receive the EOB requesting information we will attach the necessary information to the claim for you and re-file your claim. Once we settle the claim with your primary insurance we will gladly file your secondary claims. Please make sure that you give the front desk all of the information necessary in order for us to do this.

The Oral Facial Surgery Institute has four convenient locations to meet your needs.