EMERGENCY CARE

The CompBenefits plan covers dental emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week, no matter where you are. If you have a dental emergency, you are covered for palliative (emergency) treatment. Palliative treatment involves only those things necessary to control unexpected pain or more than usual bleeding, prevent complications related to an infection, or prevent the loss of a tooth from a traumatic injury. Emergency care is intended to relieve pain caused by these conditions until your primary dentist can see you. Your emergency care benefit does not include procedures that may be required but are not necessary for the relief of pain. For example, root canals and crowns may be necessary treatments but are not covered under emergency care benefits. If you have an emergency that involves extensive accidental or traumatic injury to your teeth or mouth, or that affects your ability to swallow, you should contact your medical physician.

Emergency dental services are limited to procedures done in a dentist's office or clinic to evaluate and stabilize dental conditions such as excessive bleeding, severe pain, or infection. Specific examples include a toothache that causes you severe pain, a loose tooth that is bleeding severely or an infection in your mouth that causes you pain.

In-Service-Area Emergency Care

If you are within 75 miles of your participating dentist, during normal business hours, contact your dentist and request an emergency appointment. If your emergency is after normal business hours, you should still try to contact your selected dentist. The dentist's office should have a message machine or an answering service with instructions on how the dentist can be reached after hours in the event of an emergency. Follow the instructions and provide information on how the dentist can contact you. If your dentist is not available, or if you cannot get to your dentist in time, you may see any participating dentist.

If you are unable to find another participating dentist, please contact Member Services at 1-877-531-3026. A Member Services Representative will assist you in obtaining care from another dentist. If you cannot reach any CompBenefits participating dentist after hours, you may obtain emergency treatment from any licensed dentist. After you have seen a licensed dentist, contact Member Services and they will explain how to fill out a claim for the treatment that you were given.