02/21/2026
Dental insurance feels like it was designed by someone who’s never actually set foot in a dental office.
Your dentist thinks you’re mad at them about the system where your root canal needs a permission slip from someone who’s never met you and probably thinks a molar is a small mammal.
Meanwhile they’re on hold for 45 minutes just to find out your coverage expired yesterday.
The truth is they hate it as much as you do. Maybe more. Because while you’re frustrated about your copay, they’re dealing with claim rejections, pre-authorizations for procedures they know are necessary, and the soul-crushing reality that some faceless person in a cubicle gets to override their expert diagnosis.
It’s enough to make them wonder why they spent all those years in dental school just to become a professional insurance form-filler-outer.
So next time you’re in that chair and something gets weird with your insurance, remember your dentist didn’t invent this mess.
They’re not the enemy. They’re actually fighting the same stupid battle you are, except they have to do it while also trying to save your teeth and deal with the fact that you definitely haven’t been flossing like you said you have.
A little kindness goes a long way.
Your dentist is probably having a harder day than you think, wrestling with insurance companies while trying to remember why they loved this profession in the first place.
