If I’m already paying a small fortune for dental work, can’t I at least be comfortable while it happens?
You nailed it. Comfort shouldn’t feel like a luxury add-on, especially with something as anxiety-inducing as dental work. I used to think I was just being dramatic about the nerves, but after trying nitrous for a filling, I realized how much of a difference it makes. It’s wild that insurance still treats anxiety management like an optional extra. Here’s hoping that changes eventually. Until then, yeah, budgeting for that “little cloud” is totally worth it.
Nitrous made a huge difference for me too, but I do wish insurance would catch up. It’s weird—numbing the pain is covered, but calming nerves isn’t? I get that some people don’t need it, but for those of us who do, it feels like a basic part of care. Honestly, I’d rather pay for nitrous than the fancy TVs some offices have... priorities, right?
I totally get where you’re coming from—when I had my wisdom teeth out, nitrous was the only thing that kept me from bolting out of the chair. Insurance covered the IV sedation but not the nitrous, which made zero sense to me. Has anyone ever managed to get their insurance to cover it after appealing? Just curious if it’s even possible or if it’s always out-of-pocket.
Nitrous made a huge difference for me too—honestly, I’d take it over IV sedation any day just because it wears off so fast and I feel more in control. Insurance not covering it has always baffled me, especially since they’ll pay for pricier sedation options. I tried appealing once after a particularly rough filling, but my claim got denied pretty quickly. They said it was “not medically necessary,” which is frustrating when anxiety is a real barrier for a lot of people.
Has anyone had better luck if their dentist wrote a note about dental anxiety or a specific medical need? I wonder if it makes a difference if you have a diagnosed anxiety disorder on file or something like that. Or maybe it depends on the insurance company? Curious if anyone’s managed to get around the “not necessary” excuse.
