A dental emergency can strike suddenly, causing pain and worry about paying for urgent care without savings or insurance.
The financial burden can feel overwhelming, whether you have a sudden toothache, a broken crown, or need a root canal.
But don’t worry—there are practical ways to get the care you need without spending too much.
This guide will show you how to use financing options, medical plans, and other strategies to handle a dental crisis. Relief might be closer than you think!
Paying for Emergency Care
Patients without dental insurance often need to pay for treatment themselves. Quickly raising money is hard when you have no savings for emergencies like a painful toothache.
Three options might provide the solution.
Flexible Spending
Some patients can use a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) to pay for emergency dental treatment before making contributions. Anyone who chose an FSA at work during open enrollment should explore this option.
Your employer must reimburse qualified expenses up to the annual contribution limit minus any money already spent. Pay the provider with your FSA debit card.
For example, suppose you choose to contribute $3,300 during the annual open enrollment in November. The dentist treats you for a severe toothache in January and charges $2,500.
Your employer must reimburse $2,500 immediately. Later on, you make pretax payroll contributions over the remaining eleven months. An FSA can work like a loan without being one.
Financing Options
Patients without money saved for emergencies can use financing to pay for severe tooth pain. The best option depends on your credit history.
In-House
People with good credit might consider an emergency dentist offering in-house payment plans. These providers usually refer patients to third-party financing companies such as Care Credit.
- The primary advantage is convenience. You can arrive at the dental clinic, complete an application in the office, and begin treatment immediately after approval.
- The primary disadvantage is possible denial. If financing is denied, the provider might not treat you. The next dentist might also use the same finance company, leading to another denial.
Online Lender
If you have poor credit, contact an online network of lenders before visiting the emergency dentist. You do not want repeated financing denials to delay treatment when you are in pain.
Complete one online request form to present your profile to many subprime lenders. Subprime lenders specialize in borrowers who might struggle to get credit due to a poor score or limited history.
- Fast access is the primary advantage. When more subprime lenders view your profile simultaneously, the chances of quick approval rise.
- The primary disadvantage is higher costs. Subprime lenders charge higher interest rates and fees to compensate for the increased risk of default.
Emergency Medical Insurance
While many people do not have dental insurance, most have a medical plan. You might not realize you already have coverage to treat your unbearable tooth pain.
Every second counts during an emergency, so check the oral care benefits of your current coverage.
Private Insurance
Patients with private health insurance through work or the marketplace may have coverage for specific dental emergencies or treatments.
Health insurance covers dental work deemed medically necessary. Oral care performed by a dentist treating a disease, injury, or symptoms may qualify.
- Lacerations in the mouth and gums
- Dislodged or chipped teeth
- Broken jaw bone
Visits to an urgent care center or hospital ER for a severe toothache may receive partial benefits. Your medical insurance may approve claims for prescription painkillers and antibiotics.
Medicaid Coverage
Low-income families with Medicaid may already have coverage for emergency dental treatment. Medicaid is a nationwide health insurance program with uneven dental benefits for adults and children.
Medicaid adult oral care benefits vary by state. Your plan should pay for these services at a minimum.
- Procedures necessary to control bleeding, relieve pain, or eliminate acute infections
- Services that are required to prevent “pulpal death” and the imminent loss of teeth
Medicare Plans
Depending on their plan and treatment, seniors on Medicare might get emergency dental work covered.
- Medicare Parts A & B might pay for urgent oral care if an in-patient hospital stay is needed.
- Medicare Part C (Advantage Plans) often includes additional dental benefits for procedures performed outside the hospital.
Pick a dentist who accepts your Medicare Advantage plan to lower your costs. In-network providers only charge what insurance allows.
Emergency Tooth Extractions
Patients can sometimes use their medical plan to pay for emergency tooth extractions if they don’t have dental insurance. Here are three examples to illustrate how it works.
Impacted Teeth
Patients without dental insurance can get help with extracting painful bone-impacted wisdom teeth. Their medical plan should cover most costs.
Health insurance covers wisdom tooth removal when it is medically necessary.
- Bone-impacted extractions are medically necessary because the third molars can cause pain, swelling, infection, decay, and cysts. Choose an in-network oral surgeon to minimize out-of-pocket costs.
- Removal of gum-impacted wisdom teeth is not medically necessary, so health insurance will not cover these costs.
Broken Teeth
Patients without dental insurance might get help with broken tooth extractions through other resources that might cover these costs.
- Health insurance might pay to extract teeth broken in a covered accident. Emergency treatment for injuries is medically necessary.
- Auto insurance might pay to remove teeth broken in a car accident. Medical payments may cover this procedure.
- A personal injury attorney can help you file a lawsuit if someone else’s negligence caused your broken tooth. You might recover treatment costs and loss of use.
Infected Teeth
Patients without dental insurance have few options for paying for extracting infected teeth. Financing might be the best option for dealing with severe decay or abscesses.
- Charities that help with dental expenses have long wait times, making them unsuitable for emergencies. The demand for free services is too high.
- Dental schools offer reduced prices for low-income patients but usually schedule procedures months in advance.
- Medical insurance usually does not cover treatment for infected teeth, so payment plans might be the only way to afford care.
Delaying treatment of a tooth abscess can cause severe problems, like the infection spreading to the jaw and bloodstream. Please do not wait for it to get worse. If you do not qualify for financing, call friends and family for help right away.
