Most offices routinely use the term “estimate” when presenting treatment plans. However, the way we, as dental professionals, understand the term is often very different from how patients perceive it. So when they receive a surprise bill later, it can feel like a betrayal. Patients typically work within a fixed monthly budget, and an unexpected bill can throw that off entirely.

I answer questions daily from dentists and team members needing help on anything from insurance to practice management. Most tend to have similar queries, so in this series, I plan to address the most common questions that plague dental offices.

Periodontal treatment remains one of the most commonly underdiagnosed and under-reimbursed areas in dentistry. Most denials I see can be traced back to incomplete or inconsistent charting, unclear narratives, or incorrect coding.