Oral and maxillofacial surgery · Shreveport
Dr. Dionne Applewhite sees patients with a dental plan, a medical plan, Medicaid or no insurance. Read how each is billed below, then ask for a visit.
How it is billed
Many of our patients come with a dental plan, a medical plan, Medicaid or no insurance at all. Here is how each is billed, in plain words.
| If you pay with | What we do | What your plan decides | What to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| A dental plan | What we doWe check your benefits and tell you what we found before your visit. | What your plan decidesWhich procedures it covers, how much it pays, and any yearly limit. | What to askDoes my plan cover oral surgery, and have I used up this year's limit? |
| A medical plan | What we doSome visits are medical, such as a jaw injury, a cyst or a biopsy. We tell you which part of your visit we send to which plan. | What your plan decidesWhether the visit counts as medical, your deductible, your copay, and whether it needs approval first. | What to askDoes my medical plan cover mouth or jaw surgery, and does it need approval? |
| Medicaid or CHIP | What we doCall us and we answer plainly whether we can bill your plan. We don't guess in writing. | What your plan decidesWhich oral surgery it covers for you, and which offices it pays. | What to askWhich procedures does my plan cover, and do I need a referral? |
| Paying yourself | What we doA written estimate for the visit, the procedure and any anesthesia, before you decide. | What your plan decidesNothing. You choose whether to go ahead after you read the estimate. | What to askIs the estimate itemized, and what are my options for paying? |
Four kinds of care. Each has its own page with the steps, the risks and how it is billed.
No step happens before you have heard it and said yes.
Brandi finds a time. If your dentist sent you, ask them to send your X-rays to our office.
He calls you with what your dental and medical plans may cover, or with your written estimate if you pay yourself.
A talk, an exam and an X-ray if you need one. She explains the options and what happens if you wait.
You are numbed, or sedated if you chose it and it was agreed in writing. Someone drives you home.
A short visit to look at how you are healing. Written after-care instructions come home with you.
Finding us
Our office is on Linwood Avenue, a short walk from the hospital's parking.
Check in at the front counter. If you are having sedation, the person who drives you can wait in the lobby, and Brandi will call them when you are ready to go.
A step-free entrance from the lot
Check in at the front counter
A waiting area for whoever comes with you
The people
A small office. You meet the same people at the counter, in the chair and on the phone.
Oral and maxillofacial surgeon, DDS
Dr. Applewhite is the surgeon and owner. She sees each patient herself, explains the options and what happens if you wait, and leaves the decision to you. Her residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery and her board status are listed under Credentials.
Surgical assistant
Arely sets up the room, assists at the chair and watches you through sedation. She calls you the day after surgery.
Insurance and billing coordinator
Thomas checks your dental and medical benefits, writes your estimate and explains the statement afterward.
Front desk
Brandi greets you at the counter, books visits and sends the forms link to your phone.
It depends on your plan. We bill dental plans for the procedures they cover, and a medical plan when the visit is medical. Call us with your plan's name and we will tell you plainly whether we send the claim.
You get a written estimate before any treatment, with each step and its fee. You decide after you have read it.
Many patients are sent by their dentist, and your dentist can send us your X-rays. You can also call us yourself. Some plans want a referral note from your dentist; your plan can tell you.
Most people feel pressure and soreness afterward. We numb the area, you can ask for a break at any point, and sedation is a choice we talk through first.
Send a request and Brandi will call or text you back with a time. Please leave out health details; for anything urgent, call us.