Office Visits

Don't brush off regular checkups to the dentist! Regular dental checkups are essential to maintaining good oral health. We encourage regular checkups at least every six months. Seeing the dentist twice a year is recommended because your dentist can:

check for problems that you might not see or feel
find early signs of decay
treat oral health problems early, while they are still manageable

Regular checkups include a thorough cleaning, polishing, and an oral exam by the doctor. During the oral exam, the doctor checks the health of your mouth, teeth, gums, cheeks, and tongue. At each visit, the doctor also checks old fillings and restorations because constant pressure from chewing, grinding, or clenching can cause them to wear away, chip, or crack.

Your First Visit

Your first visit with us typically includes an x-ray that allows the doctor to view the structure of the jaw, the position of any teeth that have not yet erupted, malformed roots, and tooth decay.

x-ray

The initial visit also involves getting your medical history. When you share your medical history with the doctor, be sure to provide complete, up-to-date information on your health. Inform your dentist if you have experienced recent hospitalization or surgery, or if you have recently been ill. Also tell the doctor the names, doses, and frequency of any medications you are taking — whether prescription or over-the-counter products — and the name of your physician. Inform the doctor of any changes in your health or medications. It is also important to bring up any fears you may have about dental treatment.

The information collected in your first visit will help the doctor select the safest and most effective method of treatment for you.

Regular Appointments

Regular checkup appointments typically take 30 to 60 minutes. Patients are seen by appointment only. We make every effort to be on time for our patients, and ask that you extend the same courtesy to us. We also require 24-hour notice in the event you need to make a change to your appointment. If you cannot keep an appointment, please notify us immediately.

Payment & Office Policies

Cost

The cost of treatment depends on what services are needed. You will be able to discuss fees and payment options before treatment begins. We have payment plans to suit different budgets. We also accept assignment from most insurance plans, and file the necessary papers to the insurance company. We work hard to make dental care affordable and to make sure that your insurance benefits are utilized to the fullest extent possible.

Fees

In an effort to keep fees down while maintaining the highest level of professional care, we have established this financial policy:

Payment is expected at the time services are rendered unless prior arrangements have been made.

We file your dental insurance for you as a courtesy. We will estimate your portion if insurance is expected to pay as long as your insurance company remits payment to us.

The balance on your account is due in full 60 days after the date of service regardless of insurance involvement.

For your convenience, we accept payment by cash, check, and all major credit cards (VISA, MC, Disc, AMEX and Care Credit).

To fit your individual needs for extensive treatments, financial arrangements can be made to extend your payments over a period of time, often interest free. Ask about our financing options.

Insurance

We make every effort to assist you in determining your insurance benefits and coverage, however we recommend that you contact them to verify any questions you may have. Per your insurance company we can only give you an estimate of your cost. Since the insurance company's responsibility is to you, the patient, and not us, your doctor, we treat you based on the services we feel are best for you. Therefore, we will help in every way we can in filing your claim and handling insurance questions from our office on your behalf, but cannot guarantee their payment.

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