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Who is eligible to use the MIT Dental Services?
Anyone who is eligible to use MIT Medical is eligible to use
the Dental Service. That includes current MIT students, affiliates,
and employees; Draper and Whitehead employees; their spouses
(including eligible same-sex spousal equivalents), and dependent
children 15 or older; and members of the MIT Health Plan.
How can I find out how much my dental care will cost?
Your dentist will first do an examination, take radiographs
(x-rays) when appropriate, discuss treatment options with you,
and then give you a copy of your initial treatment plan, which
will include estimated costs. These costs are estimates only,
because your treatment plan may need to be modified based on
what your dental provider finds after actually starting treatment.
As a courtesy to patients who ask, the dental billing staff
will provide cost estimates, estimate patient insurance co-payment
amounts, and send pre-estimates to Delta Dental. However,
it is the patient's responsibility to understand his or her
insurance benefits and be responsible for any balances not
paid by the insurance company.
Are any dental services covered by my health insurance?
Health insurance plans usually do not cover routine dental
care such as cleanings, x-rays, fillings, or crowns, but check
with your health insurance company directly to be certain.
Routine dental care is not covered by the MIT Student Health
Plan, MIT Affiliate Health Plan, or Traditional or Flexible
MIT Health Plans for employees.
A limited number of special procedures are covered by the
MIT Student Extended Insurance Plan and the MIT Affiliate
Extended Insurance Plan. These include:
- Extraction of wisdom teeth, under certain conditions
- Extraction of seven or more teeth at one time
- Certain periodontal surgeries
- Consultation for and excisional biopsy of oral lesions
- Consultation for wisdom teeth and temporomandibular joint
problems are sometimes covered partially or in full by some
health insurance plans, when you follow your health insurance
plan's guidelines. If you have questions about your health
insurance coverage, contact your health insurance plan directly.
What do I do if I have an urgent dental problem or emergency
after hours or on weekends?
MIT Dental is staffed during regular business hours only.
After hours, a patient with an emergency situation should
contact the MIT Medical Urgent Care Service for evaluation
and triage Our general dentists and oral surgeons are on call
to provide advice to the Urgent Care Service after hours and
on weekends. In the case of a dental emergency (e.g. facial
trauma, jaw fracture, avulsed tooth, uncontrolled bleeding,
or airway compromise) the patient will be referred by the
oral surgeon to the Massachusetts General emergency room for
treatment.
Patients with urgent dental problems (e.g., chipped tooth,
tooth pain, lost crowns, broken dentures or fillings) will
be seen as soon as possible, usually the next day. The dentists on call can be
contacted by the Urgent Care personnel to give information
on handing these situations until definitive care can be provided.
Most hospital emergency rooms do not treat dental problems
of this nature.
What are the payment options for employees?
If you have the Delta Dental Premier insurance plan that is
offered to MIT employees, you only need to pay your co-payments
or deductibles at the time of service. MIT Dental will then
file a claim with Delta Dental for the balance. Employees
with other dental plans must pay in full at the time of service.
We accept Master Card, Visa, Discover, or personal checks.
If you have other dental insurance plans, we will be happy
to provide a standard claim form for you to submit to your
insurance company for reimbursement.
Why doesn't my dental insurance cover treatments that
are recommended by the MIT Dental Service?
Good question. Unfortunately, you will have to ask your dental
insurance plan that question. Dental insurance is a contractual
arrangement between an employer, employee, and a dental insurance
company. The coverage dental insurance companies provide is
based on a financial contract and do not imply any standard
of care. Your dental needs may or may not correspond with
your dental insurance coverage. Only a patient and their dentist
can determine the most appropriate dental care for the patient.
What are the payment options for MIT students?
MIT students can pay at the time of service with a check,
MasterCard, Visa, or Discover or have charges placed on their
Student Account statement. If you have dental insurance, you
will be billed at the time of service, and we will be happy
to provide a standard claim form for you to submit to your
insurance company for reimbursement. There is a discount for
registered MIT students who do not have dental insurance through
their families or elsewhere. Currently, MIT Medical does not
offer a dental insurance plan for students.
Will you remind me when my next appointment is coming
up?
As a special courtesy, we will try to call or email you with
a reminder. However, this is not always possible. Ultimately
it is the patient's responsibility to remember scheduled appointments.
What should I do if I can't keep a scheduled appointment?
Please call MIT Dental at 617-253-1501 as soon as possible
so we can set up a new appointment for you. We would like
to make that time available to someone else who requests an
appointment. No-shows or last-minute cancellations not only
deny valuable time to other patients, they also increase the
cost of providing care. Patients who forget to cancel multiple
appointments may find it increasingly difficult to schedule
an additional appointment.
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