Office Visits

Regular Checkups

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 to the doctor 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.

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 20 to 40 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. If you cannot keep an appointment, please notify us immediately.

Financial Policies

Cost

The cost of treatment depends on the severity of the patient's problem. 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 you realize your insurance benefits.

Fees

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

• If full payment is made at the onset of treatment, we will offer a fee discount since no further book-keeping fee is needed. (If you have insurance, we will offer a discount for payment of your portion of the fee that will not be covered by insurance.)
• To fit your individual needs for extensive treatments, financial arrangements can be made to extend your payments over a period of months.
• For your convenience, we accept payment by VISA and MASTERCARD.

Insurance

If you have insurance, we will help you to determine the coverage you have available. Professional care is provided to you, our patient, and not to an insurance company. Thus, the insurance company is responsible to the patient and patients are responsible to the doctor. We will help in every way we can in filing your claim and handling insurance questions from our office on your behalf.