What Your Dental Team Needs to Know Before They Submit Another Claim

Sarah Beth Herman
Apr 17
5 min read

Written by Sarah Beth Herman, CEO of Dentistry Support®

If you've been feeling the pressure of insurance drama in your dental office, you're not alone. I created this free training blog to be a moment of pause for you—a checkpoint to refocus your team and reset your workflow before the claims start stacking up again. Whether you’re a dental office manager, a front office coordinator, or the dentist trying to make sense of it all, this is your sign to take a breath and get intentional.

This blog is the perfect primer to set you up for success before the upcoming episode of No Silver Spoons. That episode will wrap up our three-part series on dental insurance, and trust me, you won’t want to miss it. But before we get to that conversation, let's lay some groundwork.

What’s Really Changed in Dental Insurance?

Let’s start with the elephant in the room. Dental insurance hasn’t just evolved in the last few years—it’s taken a sharp turn. What worked in 2019 or even 2022 may be flat-out ineffective now. The platforms have changed. Policies have shifted. Fee schedules are buried in confusing portals. And unless you’ve got a team who’s actively staying on top of it, you’re probably working twice as hard for half the results.

And the real kicker? Many of the changes aren’t being announced. They’re just happening.

Your team might be doing the exact same steps they always have and still getting denied. That doesn’t mean they’re doing something wrong—it means the system changed, and no one sent a memo.

Why Offices Are Struggling (And It’s Not Just You)

Here’s what I want to normalize: if you’re feeling like you’re behind, you’re not failing—you’re in a very common place. So many offices are dealing with the same set of issues:

Unclear verification protocols
Platform logins that don’t give full info
Denials for things that used to be approved
Staff turnover and inconsistent training
Lack of documentation standards

It’s a lot. And when you’re also trying to check in patients, run schedules, manage payroll, and explain copays—insurance issues feel like the final straw.

But this is exactly why I teach systems over superheroes. You shouldn’t have to rely on a single biller who "knows everything." You need a repeatable structure that anyone on your team can follow.

Stop the Auto-Pilot Mentality

One of the biggest dangers I see in offices is the auto-pilot approach. "We’ve always done it this way" is not a strategy. It’s a trap. And in 2025, it’s a dangerous one.

Auto-pilot might have gotten you by a few years ago, but with the pace of insurance changes today, it can quietly wreck your cash flow. I see it all the time: months of unpaid claims because someone assumed the portal looked the same or didn’t realize a plan dropped their coverage network.

This is your chance to wake your team up in a productive and positive way.

Build a Culture of Ongoing Insurance Education

Most dental offices do a decent job of onboarding new team members, but the education usually stops there. Think about it:

When was the last time your team had a meeting dedicated solely to insurance?
Do your front desk employees know how to spot red flags on benefit breakdowns?
Does anyone on your team read industry updates or review plan changes each year?

If the answer is no—that’s okay. Because this blog is your reset button. Start having these conversations in your weekly huddles. Create a shared doc where team members can add confusing scenarios they run into. Talk through them. Learn together.

A knowledgeable front office is a powerful one. When your team understands the “why” behind the work, they make smarter choices, they communicate better with patients, and they take ownership of their role.

Three Common Mistakes That Are Fixable

Here are three things I see offices struggle with consistently that you can address right now:

1. Copying Insurance Cards Without Digging Deeper

Just because a patient hands you a card doesn’t mean the info is accurate. Plans change mid-year. Employers switch networks. Names on the card don’t always match the payer behind the scenes. You need full verification.

What to do: Make it standard practice to log into the portal and call the rep for certain payers. Ask if the plan has changed administrators. Confirm COB, waiting periods, and any exclusions.

2. Lack of Templates or SOPs

If everyone on your team verifies or submits claims differently, you’re going to run into trouble. Consistency is everything.

What to do: Build digital templates for verification and claim submission. Use the insurance company's exact language. Store them where your whole team can access and update.

3. Ignoring Rejection Patterns

If you're resubmitting the same type of claim every week, it's not an accident. It means you need to audit that process.

What to do: Create a weekly review where you check the reasons for denials. What codes? What payers? What documentation was missing? Use that data to coach your team.

A Preview of What’s Coming on No Silver Spoons

In Monday’s episode, I’m walking you through the final part of our three-part insurance education series. This isn’t theory. It’s not surface-level talk. It’s the strategy that makes the difference between getting paid and getting ghosted by insurance.

I’ll be sharing:

What’s really behind the current insurance confusion
Why smart dental teams are shifting their workflows
What to do to build an unstoppable front office system

And listen, you don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be open. This episode is for the dental leaders who are ready to stop feeling stuck and start making progress.

One More Thing: You’re Doing Better Than You Think

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed in a dental office—especially when the insurance changes come at you fast and your patients are waiting. But here’s what I want you to remember:

If you’re reading this, you care. You’re showing up. You’re learning. That makes you part of the small percentage of dental professionals who are actually moving things forward.

You don’t need to overhaul everything in a day. Just start by making one small change. Revisit your verification sheet. Update your onboarding process. Talk to your team about what’s working and what’s not.

And then join me Monday for the next episode of No Silver Spoons. We’re going to break down the barriers together.

Need help applying this to your team? Dentistry Support® offers done-for-you billing systems, training, and one-on-one consulting. If your front office needs structure or your billing needs a reset, we’re ready. Stay focused, stay encouraged, and I’ll see you on the next episode. With you in every step, Sarah Beth Herman CEO, Dentistry Support® Host of No Silver Spoons Podcast

Reference & Encouragement:

“When you know better, you do better.” — Maya Angelou

Sources to stay informed:

American Dental Association (ADA) - www.ada.org
National Association of Dental Plans (NADP) - www.nadp.org
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) - www.cms.gov

Education doesn’t end with this blog or Monday’s episode. Let this be the moment your entire team starts to grow together.

Disclaimer:

To learn more about Sarah Beth Herman, the author of all free training content you can read her bio here. These materials are intended to provide helpful information to dentists and dental team members. They are in no way a substitute for actual professional advice based on your unique facts and circumstances. This content is not intended or offered, nor should it be taken, as legal or other professional advice. You should always consult with your own professional advisors (e.g. attorney, accountant, or insurance carrier). To the extent, Dentistry Support ®has included links to any third-party website (s), Dentistry Support ® intends no endorsement of their content and implies no affiliation with the organizations that provide their content. Further, Dentistry Support ® makes no representations or warranties about the information provided on those sites. You can view our privacy policy and terms and conditions by clicking those pages in the footer of our website.