FYI
This term gets thrown around a lot in connection with Small Smiles and the other dental mills, but it's not correct. It is not what they are doing to the children.
It is really a Pulpotomy! In short the deciduous (primary/baby) tooth is drilled out, the pulp removed, leaving a chamber. The tissue within the canals of the baby tooth that was connected to the pulp in allowed to remain.
The chamber is then filled with "resorbable" material. As the succedaneous (Permanent) tooth behind erupts and pushes out the primary tooth. The pressure caused by the eruption causes cells to eat up the primary tooth roots, it loosens and falls out. The roots of the baby teeth pretty much dissolve, and are absorbed into the body. Remember the tooth you left for the tooth fairy, they didn't have roots.
Without getting into the pro's and con's of various materials poured into the chamber most include zinc oxide and eugenol (clove oil), iodoform paste, and calcium hydroxide.
So when you go looking for root canal on your medical records, you won't find it. Look for pulpotomy, pulpotomy therapy, or code D3220, D3230 and D3240.
Speaking of the coding, the ADA standard billing codes are used.
In Texas code D3220 will earn a dentist $87.96
In North Carolina D3220 will earn a dentist $81.09
In Kentucky it will get the dentist $67.60
In Alabama only $49.00
Looking at the reimbursement fees, I would think being paid by FORBA on a production/billing basis is going to vary widely. Dentists will be fighting over what state they get, won't they.
