Bottom line, insurance companies cannot tell you who to see or not see for treatment. They can dictate whether or not they will reimburse you for treatment. At Dentist ADK, we understand that people want to maximize their dental benefits. We also see that people who rely solely on dental benefits often do not receive the level of care that they deserve. A common misconception is that all dentists are the same, therefore you should see the dentist who offers the lowest out of pocket initial cost. Big mistake. Not all dentists are the same. Dentists, like all other service providers have a huge range of talent. The level of treatment a dentist is able to provide varies with experience, technique (often dictated by the amount of time they can dedicate to their procedures), labs, and materials used, among many other factors.

Dr. Levey has seen many patients over his 35+ year career that had seen an “in network” dentist for something as seemingly simple as a filling. Their INITIAL out of pocket expense was minimal (usually only about 20-30% of the actual cost of the filling, with their insurance paying the remainder directly to the dentist). But because of either the dentists lack of experience, their choice of materials, or their technique (which may have to be rushed in an insurance environment which often forces dentists that participate in the insurance game to see over twice as many patients in a day compared to a non-participating dentist), the filling was either sensitive to hot food, cold foods, or biting pressure. The patient then sees the dentist who does some type of adjustment, usually several times over several appointments, yet the tooth often remains tender because the root cause of the sensitivity is never addressed. Eventually the dentist, the patient, or both get frustrated with the situation and at least one of them gives up. At this point, the patient (the same one who had a minimal initial out of pocket expense) has had to get off from work 3 or 4 times after the filling was placed for the adjustment appointments which did not help. Weeks later they are still living with a sensitive tooth (did you ever have to microwave your salad because a cold salad caused extreme sensitivity in one of your teeth, or not be able to bite into a steak because of shooting pain from one of your teeth)? Did the patient really save anything in this example? In dollars, yes. But how much does the time and living with discomfort for weeks cost? Did this filling provide good value to the patient, especially if the patient has to have the work redone?

‌At Dentist ADK, we cannot, and never will promise a perfect outcome each and every time. What we will promise is that our technique will always be impeccable and never rushed. We will only use the finest materials. And most importantly, we will correct any problems by addressing the root cause as soon as we become aware of it. We can promise these things because we are not rushed and we do not have to jam 2-3 times as many patients into our day. We care about our patients, and we treat them like family. The way it should be. The way dentistry used to be practiced before corporations and insurance companies took over a large portion of the profession.

We believe that our best patients are referred to us by our best patients. And to earn our patients’ trust we focus on taking great care of everyone who choosesDentist ADK as their dental home.

Long answer to a short (but complicated) question.

To summarize, you can choose our office if you want to experience the Dentist ADK difference. Remember, insurance companies cannot dictate who you see for treatment.

PLEASE NOTE THAT FIDELIS/MEDICAID WILL NOT REIMBURSE FOR ANY WORK PERFORMED IN OUR OFFICE SINCE WE ARE AN OUT OF NETWORK PROVIDER.

Why has my previous dentist pulled out of my insurance network?

‌When a dentist is forced to see more patients per day because of lower reimbursement from insurance, their level of care cannot remain the same. Their techniques cannot remain the same. Their materials cannot remain the same. Their labs cannot remain the same.

Have you ever had to microwave a salad because a tooth that just has a “simple filling” was so sensitive to the cold? Or have you ever not been able to bite into a tuna sandwich because a tooth was excruciatingly painful to biting pressure? Or ever have a tooth break into painful pieces because a filling was put in but the tooth really needed to be reinforced with a dental crown because it was structurally weakened, but your “friends” at your insurance company would not reimburse you for the proper treatment?

Sure, these are not life or death problems. But does a patient really save anything if their dentistry does not look good, feel good, and last a long time? And have you ever considered what is the real cost of living with painful/sensitive/ or broken teeth?

At Dentist ADK we like to say that we are different. We will help maximize any insurance coverage you have, but will only do so as an “out of network” provider, because we will never let the actuaries who work for insurance companies dictate the type of dental care that we are able to offer to our patients.

Please let us know if you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment to experience the Dentist ADK difference.

Do you accept my insurance?

We can work with almost any commercial insurance company, as long as your employer allows “out of network” coverage. Most commercial insurance does allow for out of network benefits, but the only way to know for sure is to call the phone number on the back of your insurance card and ask them if you will get reimbursed if you see any dentist that you want to see, and to confirm with them that you do, in fact, have out of network benefits. While anyone can choose our office for their dental care, you have a chance at getting some reimbursement from your insurance company if you have out of network benefits. The way it works is that we will give YOU the forms/x rays/etc. you will need for YOU to submit to your insurance company. Our patients pay us directly, and their insurance sends the check for whatever reimbursement they may be entitled directly to YOU, the patient.
Bottom line, insurance companies cannot tell you who to see or not see for treatment. They can dictate whether or not they will reimburse you for treatment. At Dentist ADK, we understand that people want to maximize their dental benefits. We also see that people who rely solely on dental benefits often do not receive the level of care that they deserve. A common misconception is that all dentists are the same, therefore you should see the dentist who offers the lowest out of pocket initial cost. Big mistake. Not all dentists are the same. Dentists, like all other service providers have a huge range of talent. The level of treatment a dentist is able to provide varies with experience, technique (often dictated by the amount of time they can dedicate to their procedures), labs, and materials used, among many other factors.
Dr. Levey has seen many patients over his 35+ year career that had seen an “in network” dentist for something as seemingly simple as a filling. Their INITIAL out of pocket expense was minimal (usually only about 20-30% of the actual cost of the filling, with their insurance paying the remainder directly to the dentist). But because of either the dentists lack of experience, their choice of materials, or their technique (which may have to be rushed in an insurance environment which often forces dentists that participate in the insurance game to see over twice as many patients in a day compared to a non-participating dentist), the filling was either sensitive to hot food, cold foods, or biting pressure. The patient then sees the dentist who does some type of adjustment, usually several times over several appointments, yet the tooth often remains tender because the root cause of the sensitivity is never addressed. Eventually the dentist, the patient, or both get frustrated with the situation and at least one of them gives up. At this point, the patient (the same one who had a minimal initial out of pocket expense) has had to get off from work 3 or 4 times after the filling was placed for the adjustment appointments which did not help. Weeks later they are still living with a sensitive tooth (did you ever have to microwave your salad because a cold salad caused extreme sensitivity in one of your teeth, or not be able to bite into a steak because of shooting pain from one of your teeth)? Did the patient really save anything in this example? In dollars, yes. But how much does the time and living with discomfort for weeks cost? Did this filling provide good value to the patient, especially if the patient has to have the work redone?
‌At Dentist ADK, we cannot, and never will promise a perfect outcome each and every time. What we will promise is that our technique will always be impeccable and never rushed. We will only use the finest materials. And most importantly, we will correct any problems by addressing the root cause as soon as we become aware of it. We can promise these things because we are not rushed and we do not have to jam 2-3 times as many patients into our day. We care about our patients, and we treat them like family. The way it should be. The way dentistry used to be practiced before corporations and insurance companies took over a large portion of the profession.
We believe that our best patients are referred to us by our best patients. And to earn our patients’ trust we focus on taking great care of everyone who choosesDentist ADK as their dental home.
Long answer to a short (but complicated) question.
To summarize, you can choose our office if you want to experience the Dentist ADK difference. Remember, insurance companies cannot dictate who you see for treatment.
PLEASE NOTE THAT FIDELIS/MEDICAID WILL NOT REIMBURSE FOR ANY WORK PERFORMED IN OUR OFFICE SINCE WE ARE AN OUT OF NETWORK PROVIDER.

Why has my previous dentist pulled out of my insurance network?

A: While we can’t say for sure, but likely the reason your current dental practice “pulled out” of your network is because the network changed the rules of the game and dramatically changed their reimbursement to the dentist. When this occurs, dentists are faced with a challenge that they often do not want to explain to their patients. Do they double or triple the number of patients they see in a day (with the quality of care getting reduced by 2 or 3 times) to make up for the lower reimbursement? In other words, do they sacrifice quality to maintain their level of production? Or do they choose to opt out of the insurance? Many dentists are now choosing NOT to play the insurance game for this reason, and are dropping out of their networks.
‌When a dentist is forced to see more patients per day because of lower reimbursement from insurance, their level of care cannot remain the same. Their techniques cannot remain the same. Their materials cannot remain the same. Their labs cannot remain the same.
Have you ever had to microwave a salad because a tooth that just has a “simple filling” was so sensitive to the cold? Or have you ever not been able to bite into a tuna sandwich because a tooth was excruciatingly painful to biting pressure? Or ever have a tooth break into painful pieces because a filling was put in but the tooth really needed to be reinforced with a dental crown because it was structurally weakened, but your “friends” at your insurance company would not reimburse you for the proper treatment?
Sure, these are not life or death problems. But does a patient really save anything if their dentistry does not look good, feel good, and last a long time? And have you ever considered what is the real cost of living with painful/sensitive/ or broken teeth?
At Dentist ADK we like to say that we are different. We will help maximize any insurance coverage you have, but will only do so as an “out of network” provider, because we will never let the actuaries who work for insurance companies dictate the type of dental care that we are able to offer to our patients.
Please let us know if you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment to experience the Dentist ADK difference.