Seeing Your Local Dentist – What you should know
If you have dental insurance, and you can choose your own dentist, then we should be able to submit claims to that company. We will process the claims and handle other necessary paperwork for you. If there is a co-payment for any treatment we provide, we collect that from you at the time of service. We estimate your co-payment based on information we gather from your insurance company. For your comfort and peace of mind, we make financial arrangements prior to providing care-that way, there are no surprises for you.
Financing
For your convenience, we offer a number of financing options. We also work closely with a number of companies who provide, on approval of credit, “no interest” financing plans. If you have a budget that you would like to work with, when considering your dental care, please inform the doctor. Over the years, we have become experts at helping people get the dental care they need while staying within their budget.
Dental Emergencies
We make every effort to see our patients with emergencies right away.
What constitutes an emergency? If you feel you have an emergency, then we consider it an emergency as well. Some general guidelines to help you determine if you have a true emergency:Moderate to severe pain.
Swelling in the gums, face, or neck.
A broken tooth that creates a cosmetic problem.
You are concerned that things will become worse without immediate attention.
You are willing to come in to the office right away.
On some occasions your concerns can be addressed over the telephone, eliminating the need for you to take time away from work. If appropriate, you can schedule a convenient appointment to take care of your dental needs. Call us for assistance, to speak directly with the doctor.
Children As Dental Patients
We have a family practice, so we enjoy seeing children as well as adults. The first visit is usually around 3-some sooner, some later-depending on the emotional maturity of the child. We’ve cared for 2 year old children who did great, and we’ve also seen 9 year olds who weren’t at all ready to be seen by anyone other than a pediatric dentist. We make the assumption that each child is “old enough” to handle a visit to the dentist. If needed, for the comfort and safety of a child, we will refer to the pedodontist.
If you are bringing your child in for their first visit, please help your child by saying as little as possible about their appointment. Many well-meaning parents try to prepare their child for the visit, based upon their own recollections of visiting the dentist when they were young. Kids are pretty smart when it comes to people, and even saying something as innocent as, “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. It’s not going to hurt a bit,” raises red flags for some children.
If you have to say anything at all, something like this works well: “We’re going to see the lady that takes care of my smile. She’s going to look at your pretty smile and make sure that you have enough teeth. Here, let’s count them.” Then count their teeth, have them smile, stick out their tongue, whatever. Then they’re already accustomed to the whole idea. When they come in, they’ll have a great time!
Children in the Reception Area
We have a small play area for kids, with coloring books, Play Station, videos, etc., to help the time pass quickly while they’re waiting. It’s likely that we won’t be able to supervise their play, so please make sure that young children who are waiting are supervised by someone mature enough to handle that responsibility. We understand that kids can get rambunctious, and at times the reception area can look like a small tornado hit-you have our thanks for straightening up after your children before you leave.Sterilization and Safety
We sterilize all handpieces and instruments. Our sterilizer is tested weekly by an independent laboratory, and has not failed a test to date. Those items that would not survive a trip through the autoclave sterilizer are chemically sterilized. Rest assured that we meet and exceed all OSHA and CDC recommendations for employee and patient health.
Those patients that have serious health concerns are monitored during treatment with a state-of-the-art pulse oximeter system. This system is also used with patients who elect to have their dental treatment completed while sedated. Which brings us to….
Fearful Dental Patients and Sedation
Those teen and adult patients who have a serious fear of the dentist can benefit from being sedated while having their dental care completed. By taking a medication that the doctor prescribes, a patient can literally snooze their way through an appointment. In most cases, a patient’s entire treatment plan can be completed in one or two visits. There are special preparations that need to be made prior to treatment, so if you would like to take advantage of “sleep dentistry”, please let us know when you make your appointment with the doctor.
Many who are fearful when they first become a patient at our office find that after a few visits, their fear and apprehension vanishes. The gentle, friendly demeanor of the doctor and the entire team, combined with a light touch and comfortable anesthetic techniques eliminates the cause of fear for most people. Watching a movie with our virtual reality glasses is usually enough to distract a patient from their treatment, and make the time pass quickly.
Scheduling and Cancellations
It is our goal to provide you with appointments that are convenient, as well as timely. In order to provide all of our patients with superior service, we ask for your assistance-please give us a minimum of 48 hours notice if you feel that you won’t be able to make your appointment. This will help to insure that you get the quality, focused care you need, when you need it.
