If you’ve ever gone through the dental credentialing process, you already know there are only three certainties in life: death, taxes, and insurance companies losing your paperwork.

Dentists go through years of schooling, grueling exams, clinical boards, background checks, drug screenings, fingerprinting, DEA registration, state licensing, and if they’re lucky, an occasional night of sleep. After all that, they’re still told by an insurance company:

“We just need to verify that you are, in fact, a dentist.”

Really? Because I’m pretty sure the 10 years of education, $500,000 in student loans, and that framed license from the State Board already did that part.

But alas, here we are, lost somewhere between the Bermuda Triangle of “processing,” “under review,” and “pending committee approval.”

What is Dental Credentialing, Anyway?
For those new to the circus, credentialing is the process by which insurance companies decide whether or not they’ll allow you into their “exclusive” PPO network, also known as their club of hardworking professionals who agree to take a 40% pay cut for the privilege of being paid late.

Insurance companies will ask for:

• Your dental license
• DEA certificate
• Malpractice insurance
• W-9
• Proof of NPI
• Your firstborn child
• And, just to be safe, a second copy of everything you already submitted three weeks ago

It’s a process designed to ensure you are a legitimate, safe, and qualified dentist, which would be great if it didn’t take longer than an orthodontic residency.

Why Does It Take So Long?
Ah, the million-dollar question (literally).

The insurance world claims it takes 90 to 120 days for credentialing because of “verification,” “review,” and “network adequacy.” But let’s be real—that’s just code for:

• “We can’t find your paperwork.” (It’s probably sitting under a half-eaten bagel in someone’s cubicle.)
• “It’s with our review committee.” (Which meets quarterly, during a solar eclipse.)
• “We need to re-verify your license.” (As if your state dental board and the DEA are just handing out licenses to random people named “Dr. Steve.”)
• “We’re just not in a rush.” (Because the slower the process, the more time they hold onto premium dollars without paying claims.)

And in the end, the irony is thick: the longer they take, the more dentists get frustrated—and the more dentists leave their networks. Which means patients go out-of-network, claim costs rise, and insurance companies lose more money. So, really, the system is hurting them more than anyone else.

It’s like watching someone punch themselves in the face and call it “policy compliance.”

The “Recredentialing” Nonsense
Just when you think you’ve survived the paperwork gauntlet, boom—every 2–3 years, insurance companies demand you “recredential.”

They already know you’re licensed, practicing, and billing them every week—but still, they need to confirm you haven’t suddenly decided to switch careers and become a barista.

Because apparently, in their minds, there’s a real risk that one morning you’ll wake up and think:

“You know what? I’m done with crowns and composites. I’m going to fake being a dentist for fun.”

Why Dentists Are Going Out-of-Network (And Why It’s Their Own Fault)
Insurance plans love to brag about their provider networks. But here’s the thing—when they make life miserable for the very people providing care, what do they expect?

When credentialing takes half a year, when recredentialing adds new restrictions, and when reimbursements haven’t increased since the Bush administration, dentists start asking the obvious question:

“Why am I even in-network?”

And that’s exactly what’s happening. Dentists are waking up, dropping insurance, and discovering that freedom—and profitability—taste better than stale PPO contracts.

How Veritas Dental Resources Can Help
At Veritas Dental Resources, we live and breathe this stuff so you don’t have to.
Our team deals with credentialing delays, contract mix-ups, and missing paperwork every single day. We know who to call, what to say, and how to get your applications unstuck from the bureaucratic molasses that is the insurance world.

We’ll track timelines, follow up with payers, and handle all the annoying back-and-forth so you can get back to dentistry—and maybe even enjoy your weekends again.

Whether you’re credentialing for the first time, adding an associate, or simply trying to recredential without losing your sanity, Veritas can help you do it faster, smarter, and with far fewer gray hairs.

Final Thoughts
Credentialing shouldn’t feel like a spiritual test of patience, but in today’s insurance world, it often does. The process is broken, the timelines are absurd, and the logic is laughable. But the good news? You don’t have to face it alone.

Let Veritas Dental Resources be your guide through the madness. We’ll handle the paperwork, chase the carriers, and maybe—just maybe—help you fall back in love with the idea of being in-network (or at least, make it less painful).

Call Veritas Dental Resources today.
We’ll take the pain out of PPO paperwork so you can get back to fixing real teeth, not broken systems.

📞 888-808-4513
🌐 www.veritasdentalresources.com

Benjamin Tuinei
Founder – Veritas Dental Resources, LLC
📞 888-808-4513
Services: PPO Fee Negotiators, PPO Fee Negotiating, Insurance Fee Negotiating, Insurance Credentialing, Insurance Verifications
Websites: www.VeritasDentalResources.com, www.VerusDental.com