Maine lawmakers approved a Medicaid reimbursement rate hike covering general anesthesia for dental procedures that dentists say will improve access and reduce wait times.

Gov. Janet Mills signed the bill, LD 2123, into law on Wednesday.

Democratic House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, the bill’s sponsor, said in a statement Friday that the new law “will make sure that Maine children and adults do not have to suffer for months with tooth pain waiting to get the care they need.”

Dentists testified before the health and human services committee in February that the reimbursement rate was so low, they were losing money on each procedure and had to limit the number of procedures they could perform that required general anesthesia for Medicaid patients, leading to long wait times.

The original proposal would have only affected the reimbursement rate for pediatric patients, but the committee amended the bill to increase the rate for all Medicaid patients.

The law increases the reimbursement rate from $151 for every 15 minutes a patient is under general anesthesia to $203.

Michael Dowling, a Yarmouth pediatric dentist who advocated for the bill, said in an interview Thursday that “wait times had grown to 18 months for some patients” in need of procedures that require general anesthesia. He said the higher rate will lead to shorter wait times.

“We will definitely see better access,” Dowling said.

Therese Cahill, CEO of the Maine Dental Association, said in an interview Friday that it will take time to work through waitlists, but she expects they will be significantly reduced in a year or less.

“People will be in less pain. This will do a lot for people’s mental well-being and physical health,” Cahill said.