Switching Dentists Mid-Treatment: A Southern Highlands Patient’s Guide to Not Losing Money
Published
You can switch dentists in the middle of treatment, and doing it in the right order is your best protection against paying twice. Get your records and an itemized statement of your account, check what’s already been billed to your insurance, and book the new office before you leave the old one.
If you live in Southern Highlands and your dentist is across the valley, or you’ve lost trust in them, here’s the map. The decision stays yours.
Key Takeaways
- Under the federal HIPAA access rule, you generally have a right to a copy of your dental records, X-rays included.
- You can have the old office send your records straight to a new dentist if the request is in writing and signed.
- A temporary crown stands in while a lab makes the real one, so a switch should come with a date to finish it.
- Ask for an itemized account statement that shows what you paid, what was billed to insurance and which work was finished.
- One call to your insurer before the new office starts can tell you whether a claim has already been filed for that tooth.
What should you collect before you leave?
Your X-rays, your chart, the written treatment plan and an itemized statement of your account. The first three tell the new dentist what’s been done. The statement tells you where your money went.
Getting your records is generally a legal right. The HIPAA access rule at 45 CFR 164.524 says a patient can get a copy of the health information an office keeps about them. As the rule read in October 2026, the office may ask for the request in writing if it tells you so, and it must act within 30 days, with one 30-day extension if it explains the delay in writing. Any fee has to be reasonable and cost-based, covering things like copying labor, supplies and postage.
Ask for the digital X-ray files, which the rule says an office must provide in the electronic format you request when it readily can. Our longer guide covers how to get your dental records and X-rays.
Don’t leave it for years, though. Nevada’s NRS 629.051 generally requires whoever holds patients’ health care records to keep them for 5 years after they’re received or produced, so older records may not be there to ask for.
| Where your case stands | Get from the old office | Ask the new office |
|---|---|---|
| Plan written, nothing started | X-rays and the written plan | Do you agree with this plan? |
| Temporary crown on, permanent not fitted | X-rays and chart notes for that tooth | Can you finish it, or do we start over? |
| Phased plan, some phases done | Chart notes for each finished phase | Which phases still make sense? |
| Paid ahead for work not done | Itemized account statement | Should I settle the old balance first? |
| Insurance already billed for the tooth | Statement showing what was billed | How do my remaining benefits apply? |
What happens to a temporary crown when you switch?
It needs a plan, quickly. Cleveland Clinic’s page on dental impressions explains that for a lab-made crown, your impressions go to a lab, a technician makes the crown over one to several weeks, and your dentist may offer a temporary while you wait.
So a temporary is a stand-in for a crown that’s due back. If the case changes hands, make sure someone owns the next step and has a date for it, and call a dentist if the temporary comes off or your bite feels wrong.
Whether a new office can work with what’s there depends on the tooth. Our office makes CEREC same-day crowns, which can mean no second temporary at all when CEREC suits the tooth. Our crowns and bridges page has more on the options.
How do you avoid paying twice?
Get the money side on paper before anyone touches the tooth. The old office’s itemized statement should list each procedure, what you paid, what was billed and whether it was finished. If you paid ahead for something that wasn’t done, ask in writing how they’ll handle that balance, and keep the reply.
Then call the number on your insurance card. Ask whether anything has been billed or paid for that tooth, and ask for the explanation of benefits, so the new office knows what’s already been used.
We’re insurance friendly with most PPO plans and we file claims for you. For patients without insurance there’s our in-house Complete Care Program, and our financial page covers payment and financing options.
What’s the right order to switch?
- Book the new office first, so a loose temporary has somewhere to go.
- Send a written, signed request for your records to go straight to the new dentist.
- Ask the old office for the itemized statement and sort out any prepaid balance in writing.
- Call your insurer about anything billed for a tooth that’s mid-treatment.
- At the new office, ask for a written plan before any work starts.
Looking for a new dentist from Southern Highlands?
Southern Highlands sits at the south end of the Las Vegas Valley in ZIP 89141, part of the unincorporated town of Enterprise between I-15 and Jones Boulevard. Our office is on South Fort Apache Road in Spring Valley, ZIP 89148. Bringing a half-finished case somewhere new? Our Southern Highlands page is a good place to start.
Call (725) 307-5569 or use our contact page, and bring whatever records you already have.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I switch dentists in the middle of treatment?
Yes. You can generally move your care when you choose, and under the HIPAA access rule your records can follow you to the new office on a written, signed request. Book the new office and get your statement before you leave.
Will my old dentist charge me for my X-rays?
They can charge, but only a reasonable, cost-based fee. The HIPAA access rule limits it to costs like copying labor, supplies and postage.
How long does the old office have to send my records?
Under 45 CFR 164.524 it must act within 30 days of receiving your request, with one 30-day extension allowed if it tells you in writing why and when it will finish. A written request gives you a date to point to.
What if my temporary crown comes off during the switch?
Call a dentist rather than waiting it out, and mention any pain or a bite that feels wrong. Between offices, call the one you’re booked with.
Will insurance pay twice for the same crown?
Don’t assume it will. Call your insurer and ask whether anything has been billed or paid for that tooth before the new office starts. That call can tell you what’s already been used.
