Often when people have been injured in accidents, whether in the workplace, in vehicular collisions or anywhere else, they suffer trauma and injury to their teeth, jaws, face and neck. These injuries may result in obvious and visible damage like broken or missing teeth, cuts and abrasions, but they can also cause secondary injuries that are not as easy to spot.

Sometimes, even after the obvious injuries have been treated, patients still complain of symptoms that don’t have an easy explanation or visible source.

When patients are suffering from orofacial pain and injuries without obvious causes, it can be hard for them to get the right treatment, and for third parties like insurance companies to determine what kind of coverage they need and what compensation, if any, they are entitled to.

Our office works diligently to solve this problem for claimants and stakeholders.

Working with Third Parties

Many of the patients we see for IDE services are referred to us by third parties, like insurance companies. These companies have often received claims from their customers related to orofacial pain and dysfunction that is outside the scope of an ordinary dentist to diagnose and treat.

In cases like these, the goal is not just to determine what is causing the pain or dysfunction, but also to ascertain what the likeliest root cause of the problem is, and when it is likely to have occurred. This is especially important when patients are seeking compensation for injuries or disability that they attribute to a particular event or accident. It’s important to find the source of the problem, but also to confirm that it is related to the insurable event, and not an unrelated coincidence.

During these evaluations, we will work to determine if there is a genuine condition, what the cause of the pain or dysfunction is, and the recommended treatment method to provide relief.

This allows the insurance company to determine the cost of covering the care required, and the patient to seek the appropriate dental and medical care, and get relief from pain, and get on with their lives without a debilitating lingering injury.

Assessments and Recommendations

It’s important to note that when we conduct independent dental evaluations, we are not treating the problem that is causing the patient distress. Instead, we conduct a detailed, expert assessment of the symptoms and likely causes, and make recommendations for the best course of treatment.

This information is then passed on to the insurance company, legal team and other stakeholders, who can formulate the best course of action to ensure that the patient receives the compensation and coverage needed to get the recommended treatment.

Companies who refer their patients to us for these services should be clear in communicating this difference before their appointment, to avoid confusion and disappointment.

Requesting An IDE

If you represent a company that is interested in referring a patient with pain, discomfort and dysfunction related to an accident or insurable incident, you can contact our office directly to request an evaluation.

Our team will do their best to accommodate your client as soon as possible, and to provide reports and recommendations as quickly as possible.

We understand that when we conduct these kinds of evaluations, we’re also dealing with real people who have real pain.
For more information about independent dental evaluations, please contact us today.