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Medical Forum / General / Dentistry / May 2008adult Pulpotomy & root canal?
Can you tell me if it is normal for an adult to be charged for a Therapeutic Pulpotomy (exc rest) on # 3 ,4 then in exactly one month later have a "Root canal therapy " be done on those same two teeth? This individual is 22 years old. > Can you tell me if it is normal for an adult to be charged for a Therapeutic > Pulpotomy (exc rest) on # 3 ,4 then in exactly one month later have a "Root > canal therapy " be done on those same two teeth? This individual is 22 years > old. Gray area. First of all, a pulpotomy is seldom appropriate definitive treatment for a permanent tooth. It generally takes only a bit more time to remove the pulpal tissue from the canals as well, which would be called a pulpectomy. A dentist may bill this out any way he/she wishes; but if it were me and for some reason I couldn't proceed onto the root canal at the first visit, I would probably charge for a palliative (relief of pain) visit, and then the root canal. If there is insurance involved there is a good chance benefits won't be paid on the pulpotomy. Steve  SignatureMark & Steven Bornfeld DDS http://www.dentaltwins.com Brooklyn, NY 718-258-5001 Perhaps they billed for the pulpotomy as a separate procedure because: 1) They did not know if the patient would return for the RCT 2) The tooth had a questionable prognosis and they needed time without an inflamed pulp to determine the prognosis 3) Combination endo-perio lesion and needed to get the endo portion under control while treating the perio 4) other. Signature/ Amatus / >> Can you tell me if it is normal for an adult to be charged for a >> Therapeutic [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Steve > Perhaps they billed for the pulpotomy as a separate procedure because: > 1) They did not know if the patient would return for the RCT [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > control while treating the perio > 4) other. True. Perhaps I was a bit hasty in my assessment--or I'm still more cynical than you are. Steve I did say "perhaps". I agree with being cynical much of the time. Signature/ Amatus / >> Perhaps they billed for the pulpotomy as a separate procedure because: >> 1) They did not know if the patient would return for the RCT [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Steve > I did say "perhaps". I agree with being cynical much of the time. I would certainly bill for 'something' the first trip, however I would usually discount that amount off of the endo fee if I were completing endo therapy on the tooth in a few days/weeks. 'Course a HMO/PPO office could be billing for each to up the total fee to 'normal', or it could be an office where a practice manager has recommended new ways to squeeze a little cash out of the patients. D Ditto Signature/ Amatus / > >> I did say "perhaps". I agree with being cynical much of the time. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > D
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