Ep 23: Scaling the System - When SRPs are Necessary But Not Covered

“Wait — My Dental Insurance Didn't Cover It?” 😬

(SRPs, Denials, and the Conversation You Forgot to Have)

For those SRPs, you thought you did everything right. Diagnosed the periodontal disease. Treatment planned SRPs (appropriately) and explained the necessity. "We'll send this to your insurance." Provided great care to your patient.

And then… 💣

The claim got denied. The patient got big mad. And your front desk is stuck holding the billing grenade.

Sound familiar?

That’s because scaling and root planing (SRP) lives in a weird gray zone:

✅ Absolutely clinically necessary.

❌ Often doesn't meet criteria for insurance coverage.

In this episode of The Truth Decay Podcast, Sara Baker and LaRae McMullen break down the messy overlap between clinical care and coverage criteria—and how to stop the chaos before it starts.

Because here’s the truth: SRPs are absolutely essential to treating periodontal disease. But when you center the conversation around what insurance “might” pay—instead of what the patient needs—you set yourself (and your team) up for frustration.

🎧 You’ll Learn:

• Why SRPs get denied even when treatment is spot-on
• The most common insurance criteria for SRP approval (and how to document them)
• What to say before the appointment to set clear expectations
• The difference between care-centered and coverage-centered language
• How one missing detail in your charting can cost you the claim
• When to appeal—and when to skip the fight
• Why “surprise billing” is really a systems problem, not a patient one

Listen now and learn how to protect your team, your treatment plans, and your bottom line—one clean claim at a time.

🎧 Available on all podcast platforms

📺 Watch the Full Episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIJvdeFtq1U

📥 Download Your Free Resource:

“SRP Billing Playbook: Scripting Ideas, Charting Tips + What the Carriers Usually Require”

→ thetruthdecaypodcast.com

📩 Want us to tackle your burning billing questions?

Email: [e-mail]

More tools + training: sddentalsolutions.com

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