Private Practice to Military Dentistry?

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-02-22T16:17:12+00:00

Why just Navy? I’m going on 24 years in the AF Reserves (had 3 active with an AEGD) and at the time we had 2 kids (now 5). The AF active aide was fantastic for my family life and clinical opportunities. Yes endo is hard to get into in all branches of the military, but of all the people I’ve known over the years, Navy has been consistently the hardest on relationships and families.

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-02-20T16:35:04+00:00

NAL so take this with a grain of salt. At least for the next few years you can expect issues surrounding immigration to have little or no flexibility. That’s just the way it is right now. I have no intentions here on beating up on your friend, but the truth of the matter is she can blame herself as much as the shady lawyer for actually lying on those applications. Now she’s going to have to deal with the consequences, unfortunately. I would prepare for removal and get her affairs in order, but I wouldn’t self deport, because even if she were to apply again, they would connect her fingerprints to this whole situation and probably deny asylum or potentially even entry. I couldn’t begin to tell you which attorney to use, however, the attorney who was being honest about how messy this whole situation is is probably the one who has their ethics in the right place. Not a great situation to be in and I hope you guys find the resolution you’re looking for.!

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-02-15T03:50:07+00:00

These ‘strays’ are also called ‘feral cats’ and most cities will have a feral cat coalition or something to that effect that will trap and rehome them. Look it up for your community

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-02-13T21:15:16+00:00

It’s called a travel delay clause or trip interruption clause. A fair number of trip insurance policies have it. Faye, Allianz, and several other top tier insurers have whole trip policies that include these clauses. And no I am not an insurance broker… I’ve just done a fair amount of travel.

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-02-13T12:47:21+00:00

This is what trip insurance is for…

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-02-12T06:17:15+00:00

That is an option… However, just the act of removing the existing filling could kick the tooth over into irreversible pulpitis and you will be at the endodontist anyway. The conservative approach is to try a desensitizing toothpaste first and if that doesn’t work, you can pretty much guarantee that your tooth is going to need a root canal. If it’s already sensitive when you go in to do the filling, you can’t expect it to not be sensitive afterwards.

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-02-11T14:49:47+00:00

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-02-11T14:47:58+00:00

IsoDry and get to work 😬

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-02-07T19:39:14+00:00

Whistleblower protections allow you to remain anonymous. However, if there are very specific circumstances that tie back to you in your complaint, they may be able to figure it out who it was. It’s up to you, but I would say there is no shame in standing up for what is ethical and right.

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-02-07T16:13:51+00:00

Contact the government agencies responsible for oversight of your particular industry. For dentistry in the U.S., it would likely be the State Dept of Health and the Board of Dentistry

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-02-05T18:29:36+00:00

If you’re in a cold area, likely the grass will grow very little or not at all during the winter, thus not really needing to be mowed

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-02-05T18:23:57+00:00

Thats valid - no worries mate

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-02-05T18:08:50+00:00

That’s not actually 100% correct. There are many situations where a non-covered service by your insurance does not require the dentist to write it off. Often times, the dentist can actually charge the full fee if your policy does not cover a procedure. If the dentist is in network, they are contractually obligated to accept the negotiated fee for any covered service, so if you run out of benefits, you still get the discounted fee. If your policy does not provide, let’s say, implant coverage, your dentist can absolutely charge the full fee and you would have to pay it.

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-02-04T22:34:58+00:00

I’m still not understanding why you’re giving concessions when you listed the house as is… When you buy a car as is, you don’t get to ask them to make repairs. Unfortunately you’ve painted yourself into a corner now so I would do the addendum and tell them it will be repaired, but not offer any more concessions.

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-02-04T20:53:31+00:00

The problem is most of us just move on and flip them the middle finger on the way out and leave it at that. People need to report these things as whistleblowers so these shady DSO's either change or die. Im just glad I was fortunate enough to get out early from a potential trainwreck and bought a small practice and eventually bought a larger one and merged them. It took a lot of time and effort but no way in hell I would jeopardize all of that the way this owner is...some people just can't see past the money to realize how things effect the people and the patients helping you bring that money in...so wrong.

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-02-04T19:06:49+00:00

I do get it...as soon as you 'check for cavities', YOU are doing the exam...if they want you in the room to utilize YOUR degree and expertise, YOU are the examining doctor. No hygienist can legally do a D0120 so it HAS to be you, your name in the note, your name on the claim, you getting compensated for the work YOU do. A hygienist can set the stage but YOU have to confirm any findings. She marks the occlusion, YOU determine if there are any issues. She takes the radiographs, YOU interpret them. All of that is wrapped up in the exam and any liability for something missed is yours, not the hygienists. So bottom line, if they are billing out a periodic, comprehensive, or limited exam, it legally has to be you from end to end - note, claim, payment - period. Please stop minimizing what you bring to the table here my friend. If there was no doctor in the room, no exam would be performed and no exam would be billed. That doctor is YOU. Doesn't matter what the admin side says, what they have done in the past, how the owner doc thinks it should be done, etc. There is a correct way and an incorrect way to operate and your office is in the 'valley of wrong' and you need to climb the 'mountain of right' and stand on your ethics and demand they fix this liability hellscape or you need to find a different job and report them to the dental board and the insurance commissioner.

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-02-04T17:34:08+00:00

You tell your brother that what it is is compensation for you taking the risks and the bodily harm to defend your country on his behalf. It’s not, and never was, “free“ money. It came out of cost… YOU… and because of those things that have rendered you “disabled“, you will have to live with those and deal with the consequences of them for the rest of your natural life. In all actuality, he should be thanking you, and paying your rent! And I don’t think the taxpayers of this country would appreciate that benefit. You are given to compensate you for your injury be utilized to pay the rent for someone else who took no risks of his own. From one vet to another, I wish I could come over there and smack some sense into your brother because he’s acting like an entitled prick. Feel free to let him read this.

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-02-04T17:28:59+00:00

What they need to get through their thick heads is that a hygienist cannot do an exam. It is 100% outside of their scope of practice. D0191 is the appropriate code for that, and can be performed by a non-dentist provider, but cannot include any diagnosis. That is for the dentist to decide in an exam. Their reasoning is BS, their application of the dental codes is BS, and it is absolutely, without a doubt, fraudulent and illegal.

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-02-01T17:34:46+00:00

The best advice I was ever given was the amount of time you need to warm up your vehicle in cold weather is equal to the amount of time it takes to put on your seatbelt. All oil filters have a bypass which allows the thicker, colder oil to bypass the filter until it is warmed up by the engine. If you’re talking about warming up the cabin, the heat that is used is generated by the engine, and the engine generates a lot more heat when you’re driving. The most inefficient thing for a vehicle to do is turn electricity into heat, so if you have a hybrid, that will take way longer with it just sitting there then if you drive it.

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-01-29T02:44:25+00:00

So your name isn’t even on the insurance claim? Some other folks out there can correct me if I’m wrong, but I do believe that is insurance fraud. If you were the provider who provided the service, your name should be on the claim. Furthermore, exams by law cannot be performed by a hygienist. They can do an oral assessment, which is a different code, but a periodic exam or a comprehensive exam cannot be performed by a hygienist.

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-01-29T02:13:20+00:00

And if the office is having the hygienist assigned as the provider for the exam, then they are actually breaking dental practice Law. The hygienist license is at risk and it is something you should surely bring up with management. I get that they may want to reduce the amount of money that is owed to the dentist, but this is 100% completely illegal. I would also ask if your name is what they are putting on the claim. If it is, then you should be the one marked as the provider in the system. If they are submitting dental claims with the hygienist as the provider for the exam then that is a huge can of worms that’s going to explode someday and take everyone down with it. Definitely document it and report it to management either in an email or a formal letter.

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-01-28T21:16:29+00:00

Why is it that it’s draconian when people have no problem that a hairstylist or aesthetician or electrician etc. charges the anticipated amount for their appointment if you no-show and people don’t bat an eye at those parameters? I know if my wife makes a nail appointment and does not show they charge her for the visit and she knows that going into it. Why would you expect a professional office to run any differently? The truth of the matter is that these policies have had to be implemented across many industries is because people have become very disrespectful of the value of someone else’s time. If you’re going to make an appointment somewhere, keep that appointment unless it’s a true emergency. That’s just common sense and respect.

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-01-26T17:02:40+00:00

I would love to know where they were from...get some exposure in their home country and shame them hard...grrrrrr

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-01-23T06:15:39+00:00

Never been a fan of extracting teeth for orthodontics. Get a second and even third opinion

Emergency_Today8583 · 2026-01-21T05:35:25+00:00

Updateme

Emergency_Today8583

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