Several, actually

Are they subject to the same laws as medical records?
Does a patient have the right to their dental records?
If so, do they have the right to all of them?


I told my dentist I wanted to switch bc the same filling fell out 3x in a week, and he billed me for all 3.
Called to get my records and was told that they legally owned them (probably true) and that legally I was only entitled to my most recent X-Rays. The last part doesn't seem true

Tell him you are going to tear him a new one on social media. And if he doesn't comply, tear him a new one on social media and every review service out there.

Dental Records has been signing a lot of these weird Eastern European EDM acts lately. They've fallen way off. I suggest going with a new label.

A dentist is a doctor. Dental records are medical records (Health Information).

Dental records fall under the same laws for release and, too, are covered by HIPAA.

My wife told me.

If you need any help getting those records... connect me with. Gratis. Free.

My former career found me spending ~15 years outsourcing hospital/clinic medical records departments release-of-information.

What James said. Here's a link. They can charge you a reasonable for copies. Details are in the link.

https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=22&pt=5&ch=108&rl=8

(g) A dentist shall furnish copies of dental records to a patient who requests his or her dental records. At the patient's option, the copies may be submitted to the patient directly or to another Texas dental licensee who will provide treatment to the patient. Requested copies, including radiographs, shall be furnished within 30 days of the date of the request. The copies may be withheld until copying costs have been paid. Records shall not be withheld based on a past due account for dental care or treatment previously rendered to the patient. Copies of dental records submitted in accordance with a request under this section shall be legible and all copies of dental x-rays shall be of diagnostic quality. Non-diagnostic quality copies of dental x-rays shall not fulfill the requirements of this section.

Get your records and then report him to the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners. Not only does he sound incompetent, he doesn't want to release your records because he probably doesn't want someone else to see what a hack he is. But that is just my opinion.

https://tsbde.texas.gov/complaints/

Funny you say that last part, because that was my suspicion as well

DENTAL PLAN!!!!

DENTAL DAM!!!

JamesPShelley said:

---

A dentist is a doctor. Dental records are medical records (Health Information).

Dental records fall under the same laws for release and, too, are covered by HIPAA.

My wife told me.

If you need any help getting those records... connect me with. Gratis. Free.

My former career found me spending ~15 years outsourcing hospital/clinic medical records departments release-of-information.

---

Potcake said:

---

JamesPShelley said:

---

A dentist is a doctor. Dental records are medical records (Health Information).

Dental records fall under the same laws for release and, too, are covered by HIPAA.

My wife told me.

If you need any help getting those records... connect me with. Gratis. Free.

My former career found me spending ~15 years outsourcing hospital/clinic medical records departments release-of-information.

---

---

Although true many of the dentists I've done work for make more money than heart surgeons.

tandy miller said:

---

Several, actually

Are they subject to the same laws as medical records?
Does a patient have the right to their dental records?
If so, do they have the right to all of them?


I told my dentist I wanted to switch bc the same filling fell out 3x in a week, and he billed me for all 3.
Called to get my records and was told that they legally owned them (probably true) and that legally I was only entitled to my most recent X-Rays. The last part doesn't seem true

---

Each state has different laws.

Per the TSBDE-

Dental records are the property of the dental practice. You do not own them

A dentist is legally required to provide a patient with their dental records should a patient request them.

A dentist is allowed to charge a nominal fee for providing such records to their patient and shall complete the request within a certain time frame of the patient making such a request in writing. A dentist is not allowed to withold such records due to a patient having a nonpaid account, however the dentist may refuse to release the records until the nominal fee is paid.

I believe the time frame in Texas is 30 days.

Are dental records 33 or 45?

Burdizzo said:

---

Are dental records 33 or 45?

---

78

george1992 said:

---

Potcake said:

---

JamesPShelley said:

---

A dentist is a doctor. Dental records are medical records (Health Information).

Dental records fall under the same laws for release and, too, are covered by HIPAA.

My wife told me.

If you need any help getting those records... connect me with. Gratis. Free.

My former career found me spending ~15 years outsourcing hospital/clinic medical records departments release-of-information.

---

---

Although true many of the dentists I've done work for make more money than heart surgeons.

---

Very true. A kid from a ranch nearby went to medical school and got him MD. Then went and got his DDS. He works as a periodontist now. Says he makes way more money, way fewer hours, only Mon-Thurs and spends plenty of time ranching, skiing (lives now in the Rockies), or screwing whatever new, cute, young hygienist they just hired.

Ags4DaWin said:

---

tandy miller said:

---

Several, actually

Are they subject to the same laws as medical records?
Does a patient have the right to their dental records?
If so, do they have the right to all of them?


I told my dentist I wanted to switch bc the same filling fell out 3x in a week, and he billed me for all 3.
Called to get my records and was told that they legally owned them (probably true) and that legally I was only entitled to my most recent X-Rays. The last part doesn't seem true

---

Each state has different laws.

Per the TSBDE-

Dental records are the property of the dental practice. You do not own them

A dentist is legally required to provide a patient with their dental records should a patient request them.

A dentist is allowed to charge a nominal fee for providing such records to their patient and shall complete the request within a certain time frame of the patient making such a request in writing. A dentist is not allowed to withold such records due to a patient having a nonpaid account, however the dentist may refuse to release the records until the nominal fee is paid.

I believe the time frame in Texas is 30 days.

---

Correct. The dental records... the 'hard copy" are the property of the dentist. Dentist sells his practice... along go the records.

However, the information contained within those records? Yours, and for a fee set by respective states legislative bodies you can get a copy.

The killing? In 1999, when I started in Health Information ROI we were, legally, invoicing $15 base fee then ~$.90 a page for the first 30 pages and ~$.75 a page thereafter. I began on the front line (copying those records) and could keep up with the 32 pages per minute copy machine. Easily ~$1,500 an hour I was generating. 20 field associates... we made a killing. I digress.

The Dirty Sock said:

---

DENTAL PLAN!!!!

---

LISA NEEDS BRACES!!!!

Submitting a request in writing for all of my records along with the correspondence I get from the TSBDE

The Dirty Sock said:

---

DENTAL PLAN!!!!

---

Lisa needs braces!

combat wombat said:

---

Get your records and then report him to the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners. Not only does he sound incompetent, he doesn't want to release your records because he probably doesn't want someone else to see what a hack he is. But that is just my opinion.
This is exactly what you need to do. Get your records first before you report him to the board. That way if he alters the record it will not go well for him.

https://tsbde.texas.gov/complaints/

---

You always hear where they sometimes identify murder victims using 'dental records.'

How?

How would an investigator find dental records on an unknown person?

Anyone know?

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

---

You always hear where they sometimes identify murder victims using 'dental records.'

How?

How would an investigator find dental records on an unknown person?

Anyone know?

---

I believe this is usually used to match a body to a missing person or suspected victim. The family supplies the records and the ME matches the body to them for a positive ID. Don't think there's a central clearinghouse for dental records but not sure.

I've got some first hand experience with this. The family notifies the investigator of the dentist and/or any other doctors name that could have information in identifying the deceased, such as implants - plates, screws, etc. that might have a serial number. That info goes to the medical examiner and the medical examiner will request the information. I don't know what the retention is for offices keeping medical records of patients.

I do know when I requested pediatric records from the 80s after my mom passed and we discovered that we didn't know any of our info from when we were kids, the office had to get them from a "shed." But they had them from 30+ years ago.

That makes sense. I guess you would have to have some suspicion of the identity of the person.

Legally force him to provide the tooth, the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth.

tandy miller said:

---

Several, actually

Are they subject to the same laws as medical records?
Does a patient have the right to their dental records?
If so, do they have the right to all of them?


I told my dentist I wanted to switch bc the same filling fell out 3x in a week, and he billed me for all 3.
Called to get my records and was told that they legally owned them (probably true) and that legally I was only entitled to my most recent X-Rays. The last part doesn't seem true

---

They are medical records as well and this quack owes you your records!!!